DIRECTORS PAGE

COLD OPEN-SOTTOPS

PICKING UP SPEED.

HURRICANE SANDY THREATENING 50 MILLION AMERICANS.

MANDATORY EVACUATIONS.

CITIES FLOODED.

RECORD BREAKING STORM SURGE EXPECTED.

NEW YORK'S PUBLIC TRANSIT --

HALTED.

EMPTY AIRPORTS.

FLIGHTS GROUNDED.

SANDY OPEN-CLIP

TRACKING SANDY-HTC

SANDY CONTINUES TO IMPACT THE EAST COAST

Sandy is bringing a mixed bag of weather to much of the East Coast.

As she hones in on the Northeast, she's driving in a dry, cool air mass to south Florida. We're going to see overnight lows drop to 52 degrees, and some areas will be even cooler. Highs will only be in the low 70s during the daytime. As we progress through the week temperatures will gradually warm up, but they will stay fairly cool by our standards.

Mostly sunny skies will be the rule through the entire week, and we'll stay dry with the exception of Thursday. Isolated showers are possible on that day, but that's it! No more. In fact, the weekend looks spectacular. If you're heading to Taste of the Town - you're in for a delight.

Our weather is great, but that's not the case for our friends and family up north. Sandy is honing in on the Northeast very quickly.

It's nearing CAT 2 strength, too, with sustained winds of 90 MPH and gusts over 115.

Hurricane wind gusts are being felt 175 miles out from the center, and tropical storm force winds up are being detected nearly 500 miles out. Winds alone will cause damage across their region. Remember - leaves are still on the trees, and heavy rain will help weigh them down. Sustained winds over 50 MPH will easily bring them to the ground. This will result in widespread power outages.

Some 55 million people are going to be affected.

Besides the winds, storm surge is a major hazard. There's a full moon out which will cause the tides to be higher than normal. When you factor in Hurricane Sandy and her winds - storm surge will be up to 12 feet in some areas. Water levels are already higher than forecasted.

It's too late to evacuate if they haven't done so already.

Flooding due to heavy rains will be another concern. Also, blizzard conditions across the higher elevations of the Appalachians as Sandy pulls in some very cold air from the west.

HURRICANE SANDY LATEST-2SH-BOXES

SANDY'S GETTING STRONGER.

NEARLY 900 THOUSAND CUSTOMERS WITH OUT POWER -

14 THOUSAND FLIGHTS CANCELLED.

THE STORM ABOUT TO COME ASHORE --

AND AS NEW JERSEY TAKES A DIRECT HIT --

N-B-C'S JAY GRAY IS LIVE IN CAPE MAY --

HURRICANE SANDY LATEST-SAT 24

HURRICANE SANDY LATEST-trx-PKG

nats

AFTER STALKING THE EASTERN SEABOARD FOR DAYS.

SANDY IS GAINING MOMENTUM, AND NOW TAKING AIM ON THE JERSEY SHORE.

New Jersey :08 -:13

"The storm is not at its apex yet, it's going to get worse between now and the next time I speak with you."

IN MANY AREAS - IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE THINGS COULD GET MUCH WORSE.

DEBRIS HAS BEEN SCATTERED. TREES UPROOTED AND TOSSED INTO HOMES.

nats pop flooding

FLOOD WATERS HAVE ALREADY SWALLOWED ROADWAYS.

PIERS HAVE BEEN RIPPED APART AND WATER IS PUSHING UP AGAINST HOUSES.

THE PATH OF EARLY DESTRUCTION COVERS SEVERAL STATES - GRAPHIC EVIDENCE OF THE SIZE OF THE STORM.

SEVEN-HUNDRED MILES WIDE. WITH HURRICANE FORCE WINDS STRETCHING OUT 175 MILES FROM THE CENTER.

MORE THAN 50-MILLION PEOPLE COULD FEEL THE EFFECTS OF SANDY.

"This is going to be a big and powerful storm and all across the eastern seaboard everybody is taking the appropriate preparations."

SANDBAGS GUARD AGAINST THE WATER.

BOARDS BRACE FOR THE VIOLENT WINDS.

SHELTERS ARE SECURE AND READY.

THOUSANDS OF FLIGHTS HAVE BEEN CANCELED.

IN MANY AREAS PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION HAS BEEN SUSPENDED - THE TIME TO MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IS ALL BUT OVER IN THE STRIKE ZONE.

AND THERE IS AN OMINOUS WARNING NOW. FOR THOSE WHO CHOSE TO RIDE OUT THE STORM.

New Jersey 1;15 - 1:26

"When it comes in tonight we are not going to be able to come in a rescue you, it's going to be dark, electricity will be out and we won't be able to get first responders in to find you."

HURRICANE SANDY LATEST-SAT 24

NOW ALREADY, THOUSANDS ARE WITHOUT POWER, FLOOD WATERS ARE RISING AND THE WORST OF SANDY IS STILL TO COME HERE.

SANDY FROM SPACE-VO

HURRICANE SANDY MAKING AN IMPRESSION 260 MILES ABOVE EARTH TOO.

CHECK OUT THIS IMAGE OF SANDY FROM SPACE. THEY ARE NOT CALLING THIS FRANKEN STORM FOR NOTHING.

NY CRANE DANGLING-VOTOPS

THE RESULT OF THAT HUGE STORM ALREADY BEING FELT IN NEW YORK CITY.

A CRANE HIGH ATOP THE ONE 57 BUILDING SKYSCRAPER TOPPLED OVER FROM SANDY'S WINDS.

POLICE HAVE CLEARED THE STREET BELOW AS IT SWAYS IN THE BREEZE.

LAKE MICHIGAN WAVES-VOTOPS

AND THIS STORM IS SO BIG, ITS BEING FELT NEARLY SIX HUNDRED MILES AWAY.

SEVERE WEATHER AND DANGEROUS CONDITIONS ON THE GREAT LAKES.

ROMNEY EVENTS CANCELLED-OC

SANDY IS ALREADY AFFECTING THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.

PRESIDENT OBAMA AND MITT ROMNEY HAVE CANCELLED ALL PLANNED APPEARANCES TODAY AND TOMORROW.

NBC2 COVERAGE PROMISE-MITTOTOPS

YOU CAN COUNT ON NBC2 TO CLOSELY MONITOR SANDY ON AIR AND ONLINE AT NBC-2.COM --

OPERATION SPIDERWEB ARRESTS-trx-OC-BOXES

DEVELOPING AT THIS HOUR --

LEE COUNTY DEPUTIES ARREST 40 PEOPLE IN A MULTI AGENCY CHILD PREDATOR SEX STING.

THE SHERIFF SAYS A SCHOOL TEACHER AND AN ACTIVE DUTY SOLDIER ALL TRIED TO SET UP SEX WITH CHILDREN ON-LINE.

N-B-C TWO'S MEAGHAN SMITH IS LIVE, BREAKING DETAILS ON OPERATION SPIDER WEB.

OPERATION SPIDERWEB ARRESTS-REM 26

OPERATION SPIDERWEB ARRESTS-PKG

OPERATION SPIDERWEB ARRESTS-SOTVO

OPERATION SPIDERWEB ARRESTS-REM 26

CHAR CO COLD CASE ARREST-trx-SS-BOXES

DEPUTIES IN CHARLOTTE COUNTY BELIEVE THEY'VE SOLVED A DECADE-OLD COLD CASE.

19-YEAR-OLD TARA SIDAROVICH DISAPPEARED IN 2001 -- HER REMAINS WERE FOUND THE NEXT YEAR.

INVESTIGATORS SAY NEW EVIDENCE LED THEM TO THE SUSPECTS -- SEPTIC TANK REPAIRMEN WHO WERE SCHEDULED TO VISIT TARA'S HOME THE DAY SHE DISAPPEARED.

N-B-C TWO'S CHARLIE KEEGAN SPOKE TO SIDAROVICH'S FAMILY TODAY ABOUT THEIR LONG WAIT FOR JUSTICE.

BREAKING NEWS OUT OF CHARLOTTE COUNTY. THE SHERIFFS OFFICE ANNOUNCED IT HAS SOLVED AN 11 YEAR OLD COLD CASE.

INVESTIGATORS BELIEVE PHIL BARR AND DAVID MCMANNIS MURDERED TARA SIDAROVICH.

NBC-2's CHARLIE KEEGAN JOINS US NOW WITH MORE ON THE CASE.

Live

AT A PRESS CONFERENCE THIS MORNING THE SHERIFF SAID NEW EVIDENCE LED INVESTIGATORS TO CHARGE DAVID MCMANNIS AND PHILLIP BARR WITH FIRST DEGREE MURDER.

AUTHOTITIES AREESTED MCMANNIS IN MARYLAND FRIDAY, BARR IS STILL ON THE LOOSE.

VO

19-YEAR OLD TARA SIDAROVICH WENT MISSING ON OCTOBER FIRST 2001. HER BODY WAS FOUND 10 MONTHS LATER IN THE WOODS IN SOUTHERN CHARLOTTE COUNTY.

DETECTIVES QUESTIONED MCMANNIS AND BARR INITIALLY, BUT THEY WERE NEVER CHARGED.

TARA's MOTHER WAS IN PUNTA GORDA TODAY. WHILE SHE SAYS THERE WILL NEVER BE CLOSURE, THIS IS THE FIRST STEP TOWARD JUSTICE.

SOT

Sharon McPhillips, Tara's Mother 23 seconds "you kind of feel like its not real, I'm happy, I'm sad, I'm sad. I could be angry, it's a lot of emotions. I'm just so glad that we have come to this first step for justice for Tara bc she deserves it. She was a wonderful human being and no one had the right to do what they did to her"

LIVE

THE SHERIFF IS ASKING FOR THE PUBLICS HELP TODAY. AUTHORITIES ARE STILL LOOKING FOR PHILLIP BARR. HE MOVED AWAY FROM THE AREA ABOUT FIVE YEARS AGO AND IS LAST KNOWN TO BE IN VERMONT OR NEW YORK.

IF UOU HAVE ANY INFO, CALL CRIMESTOPPERS.

1-800-780-8477

CHAR CO COLD CASE ARREST-REM 2

Live

SHARON MCPHILLIPS STOOD WITH HER DAUGHTER IN A PRESS CONFERENCE THIS MORNING THANKING THE DETECTIVE WHO HAVE NWVER GIVEN UP ON THOS CASE.

CHAR CO COLD CASE ARREST-PKG

Pkg

0:09 Sharon McPhillips, Tara's Mom

"we have waited and prayed for this day to come" Sharon McPhillips, Tara's Mother

WITH HER ARM WRAPPED AROUND HER DAUGHTERS, SHARON MCPHILLIPS SPOKE ABOUT THE CHILD SHE LOST 11 YEARS AGO.

"she liked hanging with friends and with her family, we were a close family. " Sharon McPhillips, Tara's Mother

TARA SIDAROVICH WAS LAST SEEN AT HER PUNTA GORDA HOME OCTOBER 1 2011.

SHE WAS WAITING FOR A SCHEDULED VISIT FROM A SEPTIC TANK MAINTENANCE COMPANY.

Nats car

TEN MONTHS LATER AUTHORITIES FOUND HER BODY IN THE WOODS OFF BURNT STORE ROAD.

"an autopsy determined she was the victim of a homicide" Sheriff Bill Cameron, Charlotte County

PHIL BARR AND DAVID MCMANNIS WERE THE TWO SEPTIC TANK REPAIRMEN VISITING THE HOUSE, DETECTIVES QUESTIONED AND RELEASED THEM BOTH.

NOW NEW EVIDENCE LED AUTHORITIES TO ISSUE WARRANTS FOR BOTH THEIR ARRESTS CHARGING THEM WITH FIRST DEGREE MURDER.

" we started from day 1 with statement 1 evidence piece 1." Mike Gandy, Cold Case Unit

MCMANNIS WAS ARRESTED IN MARYLAND FRIDAY, HE'LL BE BROUGHT BACK TO CHARLOTTE COUNTY.

BARR IS STILL ON THE LOOSE, DETECTIVES SAY HE WAS LAST KNOWN TO LIVE IN VERMONT OR NEW YORK.

HE TOLD US IN 2001, HE WAS INNOCENT.

i realize the police are doing their job and they're looking into this but nontheless i feel like i've been harassed.

TARA's MOTHER HOPES HE CAN BE BROUGHT TO JUSTICE.

CHAR CO COLD CASE ARREST-REM 2

Live

CALL CRIMESTOPPERS WITH ANY INFO ON WHERE PHIL BARR MOHHT BE. THERRE IS A $1,000 REWARD.

THAT NUMBER IS 1-800-780-8477.

TARA WOULD HAVE TURNED 31 TOMORROW.

CAPE CRA VOTE-OC-TURN-BOXES

CAPE CORAL CITY COUNCIL IS EXPECTED TO MAKE A CONTROVERSIAL DECISION TONIGHT ABOUT WHETHER TO DISBAND THE COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY.

THE CITY MANAGER WANTS TO TAKE OVER THE CRA, SET UP TO IMPROVE THE DOWNTOWN AREA, BECAUSE THE AGENCY IS ABOUT A MILLION DOLLARS OVERBUDGET.

CAPE CRA VOTE-REM 1

We are two hours into the special meeting and we still don't have a decision on what will happen to the CRA - but the mayor just recently said he doesn't have enough information to just shut it down.

Take live in side -

Let's look inside right now we are hearing public comment.

A huge stack of petitions was delivered by those who are businesses and people who support downtown.

The city manager and city finance manager claim the agency exceeds their revenue by 1.2 million dollars.

And by 2013 and 2014 they will be out of money.

But The CRA described how they plan to reduce overhead costs by cutting salaries. and that they are in no danger of running out of money.

The executive director says their budget is sound and have expenditures through 2017.

CAPE CRA VOTE-SOT

Take sot

John Jacobsen/CRA executive director

CAPE CRA VOTE-REM 1

Take sara

Te executive director has requested a workshop between the CRA and city.

But Council says they are ready to make a decision tonight.

We will keep you updated on what is decided.

CAPE HOUSE FIRE FOLO-VO-PKGFLY

A HOME IN CAPE CORAL KNOWN FOR ITS HALLOWEEN DECORATIONS IS A TOTAL LOSS TONIGHT.

FIRE DESTROYED THE HOUSE ON SOUTH EAST 4TH PLACE --

THAT'S JUST OFF SANTA BARBARA BOULEVARD.

THE FAMILY MADE IT OUT ALIVE THANKS TO THEIR DOG.

CAPE HOUSE FIRE FOLO-PKG

D

"as crews board up this Cape Coral home, the family tells me they're grateful everyone made it out. Thanks to a quick thinking officer and the family dog Maddox."

AN EARLY MORNING FIRE --- LEAVES DEBBIE YASBECK OUT IN THE COLD.

2517 "I don't know. I'm ill. I have no thoughts. I have no idea what I'll do."

YASBECK TELLS US SHE AND HER FAMILY -- ALMOST MET A HORRIFYING END.

THEY WERE SOUND ASLEEP INSIDE THE HOME -- ON SE 4TH PLACE --- WHEN THEIR DOG MADDOX STARTED BARKING.

2221 "We heard the dog. I told my husband to check it out. He saw the flames."

THE FIRST RESPONDER TO THE FIRE -- WAS CAPE CORAL OFFICER JUSTIN HEARN.

HE RAN AROUND BACK -- AND CARRIED AN 88 YEAR OLD WOMAN OUT OF THE BURNING HOME AND TO SAFETY.

WHILE ALL 5 LIVES WERE SPARED -- THE BLAZE BURNED SOMETHING KNOWN TO THIS BLOCK.

2108 "it's gone. We had 1000, 1000 dollars of decorations."

THE FAMILY GOES ALL OUT THIS TIME OF YEAR -- TO OFFER A TRICK OR TWO.

3104 "it's the Halloween House."

NEIGHBORS TELL US -- THE FRIGHTENING LOSS IS SHARED BY ALL.

131 "I went around and smelled the smoke and said OH NO! My heart dropped."

FIREFIGHTERS TELL US THE BLAZE SEEMS ELECTRICAL IN NATURE -- THEY'RE CHECKING TO SEE IF IT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE HALLOWEEN DECORATIONS.

MEANTIME, MAN'S BEST FRIEND PROVES ONCE AGAIN -- THERE'S TRUTH TO THE TITLE.

2327 "my dog saved the day. He's my hero. He's all of ours."

TEASE ONE-2SHOT

RECORD NUMBERS OF VOTERS SHOWED UP TO THE POLLS TO VOTE EARLY IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA.

WE'VE SEEN LONG LINES --

AND THAT MEANS LONG WAIT TIMES --

WE'LL HAVE EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE HEADING OUT TO THE POLLS.

PLUS.AN ELUSIVE AND ENDANGERED BIRD AT THE CENTER OF CONTROVERSY TONIGHT.

TZ1 A) EARLY VOTING LINES-REM-26

TZ1 B) SCRUB JAY FOLO-VOTOPS

TZ1 C) WEATHER TEASE-STC

SANDY LIVE SHOT-SAT-LIVE

ROBERT WX OPEN-CLIP

FIRST ALERT FORECAST-WXWALL

THIS WEATHERCAST HAS BEEN PREPARED BY THE NBC2 WEATHER STAFF.

IT IS NOT A VERBATIM OF WHAT IS BEING SAID, BUT IS THE FORECAST FOR OUR AREA.

SANDY CONTINUES TO IMPACT THE EAST COAST

Sandy is bringing a mixed bag of weather to much of the East Coast.

As she hones in on the Northeast, she's driving in a dry, cool air mass to south Florida. We're going to see overnight lows drop to 52 degrees, and some areas will be even cooler. Highs will only be in the low 70s during the daytime. As we progress through the week temperatures will gradually warm up, but they will stay fairly cool by our standards.

Mostly sunny skies will be the rule through the entire week, and we'll stay dry with the exception of Thursday. Isolated showers are possible on that day, but that's it! No more. In fact, the weekend looks spectacular. If you're heading to Taste of the Town - you're in for a delight.

Our weather is great, but that's not the case for our friends and family up north. Sandy is honing in on the Northeast very quickly.

It's nearing CAT 2 strength, too, with sustained winds of 90 MPH and gusts over 115.

Hurricane wind gusts are being felt 175 miles out from the center, and tropical storm force winds up are being detected nearly 500 miles out. Winds alone will cause damage across their region. Remember - leaves are still on the trees, and heavy rain will help weigh them down. Sustained winds over 50 MPH will easily bring them to the ground. This will result in widespread power outages.

Some 55 million people are going to be affected.

Besides the winds, storm surge is a major hazard. There's a full moon out which will cause the tides to be higher than normal. When you factor in Hurricane Sandy and her winds - storm surge will be up to 12 feet in some areas. Water levels are already higher than forecasted.

It's too late to evacuate if they haven't done so already.

Flooding due to heavy rains will be another concern. Also, blizzard conditions across the higher elevations of the Appalachians as Sandy pulls in some very cold air from the west.

MARTHA'S VINEYARD ROUGH SHORES-vo

VIRGINIA FLOODING-vo

PENNSYLVANIA DAMAGE-vo

DECISION OPEN-CLIP

EARLY VOTING LINES-2SH-SS-BOXES

EARLY VOTING GETTING OFF TO A RECORD START --

PROMPTING ELECTION LEADERS TO TAKE ACTION.

IN THE FIRST THREE DAYS --

MORE THAN 30 THOUSAND PEOPLE HAVE CAST A BALLOT IN LEE AND COLLIER COUNTY.

IN ADDITION TO LONG LINES --

LENGTHY BALLOTS ARE CAUSING CONCERNS.

N-B-C TWO CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT CHAD OLIVER REPORTS.

NOON HIT

* SHOW LINE WRAPPED AROUND BUILDING

THIS IS THE BUSIEST OF THE FIVE EARLY VOTING LOCATIONS IN LEE COUNTY.

ROLL Q TO VO: ". LOCATIONS IN LEE COUNTY."

CHECK OUT THAT SIGN - IT SAYS FROM THIS POINT - THERE IS A TWO AND A HALF HOUR WAIT.

EARLY VOTING RUNS FROM 7 IN THE MORNING UNTIL SEVEN AT NIGHT.

I JUST SPOKE WITH LEE COUNTY'S SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS SHARON HARRINGON - SHE TELLS ME LEE COUNTY SET AN EARLY VOTING RECORD FOR THE FIRST TWO DAYS.

HER ADVICE - READ THE SAMPLE BALLOT AND BRING IT WITH YOU SO YOU KNOW HOW TO MARK YOUR BALLOT.

THIS IS HOW ONE WOMAN DESCRIBES THE PROCESS.

SOT:15 SECS

JANE MUNN / LEE COUNTY VOTER

:00:57:23

"wait in line outside for about 25 minutes inside and was seated & waited just about an hour." Chad: "Was this the first time you've seen the ballot?" Jane: "I had seen the sample ballot." Did that help? "It did help. There's a lot of amendments there's a lot to read." 38

THIS IS DAY THREE OF EARLY VOTING.

IT RUNS THROUGH THE REST OF THIS WEEK - ENDING ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER THE THIRD.

IF YOU DON'T WANT TO WAIT IN LINE DURING EARLY VOTING.

YOU CAN STILL VOTE BY MAIL.

YOU HAVE UNTIL THIS WEDNESDAY TO REQUEST A MAIL-IN BALLOT.

YOU CAN DO THAT OVER THE PHONE OR IN PERSON AT YOUR ELECTIONS OFFICE.

EARLY VOTING LINES-REM 26

*show line wrapping around buidling

* wait time is about 2 hours at this location. this is the election center across from the Bell Tower shops.

* this afternoon workers brought in another machine to print ballots.

* i'm told if you're in line by 7 o'clock you will be able to vote early.

EARLY VOTING LINES-PKG

:20 SHARON HARRINGTON / LEE CO. SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS

:39 JANE MUNN / LEE COUNTY VOTER

:55 MARY CASSADY / LEE COUNTY VOTER

TRT: 1:19

IF POLITICS IS A WILD RIDE -

THEN THESE ARE WAIT-TIME WARNING SIGNS REMINISCENT OF AN AMUSEMENT PARK.

"I think people are willing to wait - their vote counts." 56

THE WAIT PROVED TOO MUCH FOR SOME WHO NEEDED MEDICAL ATTENTION.

TO SPEED THE PROCESS.

ELECTION WORKERS HAVE ADDED AN EXTRA BALLOT SCANNER TO EACH LOCATION. AND TODAY THEY BROUGHT IN MORE MACHINES TO *PRINT BALLOTS.

"We actually print those ballots on the spot - so we're printing 4 pages of ballots - front and back for these folks - so that takes a while - then it takes a while in the booth. when they're actually in there marking the ballot." 33

LEE'S SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS SAYS TAKE A CUE FROM THIS GUY - STUDY THE RACES AND AMENDMENTS SO YOU KNOW HOW YOU'RE GOING TO VOTE.

YOU STILL HAVE UNTIL WEDNESDAY TO REQUEST AN ABSENTEE OR 'MAIL' BALLOT.

MARY CASSADY DID THAT AND TURNED IN HER BALLOT TODAY. WALKING RIGHT BY THE LONG LINE OUTSIDE.

" 15

EARLY VOTING TAKES UP 8-DAYS ON THE ELECTORAL CALENDAR - ENDING THIS SATURDAY NOVEMBER THIRD. ON DAY 3 - ONE THING IS CLEAR ABOUT EARLY TURNOUT.

EARLY VOTING LINES-REM 26

* use I-Pad to show Wait times at Collier County locations.

* green represents wait times under 15 minutes.

* red shows wait times more than 30 minutes.

* WE'VE PUT THIS LINK ON OUR WEBSITE. AS WELL AS HOW YOU CAN SKIP THIS LINE ALTOGETHER AND VOTE BY MAIL.

GO TO NBC-DASH-2 DOT COM. CLICK NEWSLINKS.

ALL NEW AHEAD AT FIVE-CLIP

"This rare bird calls cape coral home. But a decision today could force the scrub jay to take flight. I'm alex boyer, why a group of residents is fighting to keep the protected bird in $the city."

TZ2 A) ALEX STAND UP TEASE-SOTTOPS

ALL NEW AHEAD AT SIX-CLIP

TZ2 B) KARLA STANDUP TEASE-BNR-SOT

SCRUB JAY FOLO-2SH

THE CAPE CORAL SCRUB JAY MAY SOON BE TAKING FLIGHT.

COUNCIL WILL CONSIDER FUNDING A PLAN - WHICH WOULD BASICALLY MOVE THE SCRUB JAYS OUT OF THE CITY - PAVING THE WAY FOR A NEW PARK.

BUT A GROUP OF PASSIONATE BIRD LOVERS IS PUSHING FOR THE CITY TO EMBRACE THE RARE SCRUB JAY.

SCRUB JAY FOLO-PKG-BNR

:10-cheryl anderson/cape coral friends of wildlife

-pascha donaldson/cape coral friends of wildlife

Cheryl anderson has a soft spot for scrub jays and she doesn't have to go far to find one.

-cheryl anderson/cape coral friends of wildlife-"this is a very very special thing to have a bird like this in your community."

The city of cape coral has one of the only scrub jay populations in the world. The endangered bird has always alluded our cameras - until today - when anderson took us to the north cape for a rare - up close look - at the bird.

-anderson-"the florida scrub jay is very unique. It has lived in florida for over 2 million years."

But the days of the cape coral scrub jay may be numbered.

Tonight, city council is expected to approve spending nearly $800-thousand dollars - in order to relocate the birds to alva.

.Paving the way for festival park.

Anderson believes the birds are more valuable staying put.

-anderson-"rather than think badly of them let's market them. Show them as an asset."

Bird watchers come to cape coral just to see the rare scrub jay. These are pictures from a group who made the trip from bradenton last year.

-pascha donaldson/cape coral friends of wildlife-"they are thrilled to death to come this close to a scrub jay."

Pascha donaldson takes bird enthusiasts on private tours to see the cape coral scrub jay.

If embraced by the city, donaldson believes bird watching could turn into big business. And feels the city's decision to mitigate them - is short sighted.

-donaldson-"this is an economic engine for cape coral if we publicize it correctly."

NEW AT 530-BNR-2SHOT

HURRICANE SANDY IS BEARING DOWN ON THE NORTHEAST TONIGHT.

YOU CAN SEE IT MOVING ASHORE *RIGHT NOW*!

ROBERT'S TRACKING THE STORM--

AND THE DAMAGE IT'S CAUSING.

DOZENS OF ELECTRICAL WORKERS FROM SOUTHWEST FLORIDA ARE ON STAND-BY--

READY TO HEAD TO THE NORTHEAST-

TO RESTORE POWER.

IT'S ALL PART OF OUR LIVE TEAM COVERAGE!

AND NBC2 UNCOVERED NEW INFORMATION TONIGHT--

ABOUT THAT CONTROVERSIAL INTERCHANGE ON THE NEW METRO PARKWAY EXTENSION!

B) SWFL POWER CREWS-VOTOPS

C) METRO & BRIARCLIFF-VO TOPS