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The Daystarter: What's next after Senate rejects Obamacare repeal; Bucs open training camp today; Comic Con invades Tampa; get ready for back to school

 
Jermaine Ferguson takes the $5 entry fee from a visitor at Fort De Soto Park on Wednesday. Pasco County has done away with recession era park fees. What about Pinellas and Hillsborough counties? [LARA CERRI   |   Times]
Jermaine Ferguson takes the $5 entry fee from a visitor at Fort De Soto Park on Wednesday. Pasco County has done away with recession era park fees. What about Pinellas and Hillsborough counties? [LARA CERRI | Times]
Published July 28, 2017

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

• There's a small chance of isolated showers later this afternoon, according to 10Weather WTSP. Mostly it will just be balmy, with highs in the low 90s.

[WTSP]

Check the latest Tampa Bay-area live radar:

[WTSP]

Check the latest Tampa Bay-area live radar:

10News WTSP

The latest 7-day forecast

10News WTSP

The latest 7-day forecast

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

• The Senate early this morning rejected a new, scaled-down Republican plan to repeal parts of the Affordable Care Act, derailing the Republicans' seven-year campaign to dismantle President Barack Obama's signature health care law and dealing a huge political setback to President Donald Trump. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who just this week returned to the Senate after receiving a diagnosis of brain cancer, cast the decisive vote to defeat the proposal, joining two other Republicans, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, in opposing it. Stay with tampabay.com to find out what's next.

• With classes set to start in early August, the Tampa Bay Times' annual back-to-school report offers information to help you tackle the school year -- from registering your child, to finding bus routes, to staying current on education policies that affect your family. And, throughout the year, make The Gradebook blog your go-to source for information on education.

• When the great recession hit, many local governments started charging people for using parks, visiting the beach or putting their boats in the water. With the economy on the rebound, Pasco County decided to make parks free again. So can we expect the same in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties?

• Tampa Bay Comic Con opens at noon today at the Tampa Convention Center and we have 5 things to know before you go geek out, and check out our live blog throughout the weekend. Want to share your photos? Tweet them using hashtag #tbtcomiccon.

• The Pasco County Sheriff's Office has a special unit that can go where few dare — and they're all volunteers. The Volunteer Jeep Search and Rescue Unit brings off-road enthusiasts together to help first-responders reach otherwise impassable terrain. Chris Bowling explains what the mission of the unit and how it can help in disasters and emergencies.

• The Largo Police Department will release details this morning about a child's death. No other details have been released and an investigation is ongoing; stay with tampabay.com for updates.

• The Bucs open training camp today with an 8:45 a.m. workout. Stay on top of the action by signing up for our Bucs Red Zone email newsletter, delivered to your inbox every day at 3 p.m. Sign up here. Also, check out our Facebook page at 8 a.m. and noon for live video from our beat writers.

• It sure looks like the Rays will be buyers at the trade deadline with their acquisitions of left-handed reliever Dan Jennings and first baseman/DH Lucas Duda on Thursday. Check out The Heater throughout the day as Marc Topkin spells out what other moves the Rays may be making.

• It's tough to get through a Florida summer. We found 21 fun places to escape the heat (or the rain) and chill out indoors.

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• Before they take the stage tonight at Tampa's MidFloridaAmphitheatre, read our interview with Lady Antebellum's Charles Kelley where he talks about family life and song writing.

Here are the top things to do today in Tampa Bay.