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  • Your community needs your help!

    WPTV, NewsChannel 5, has partnered with the United Way to kick off the Give5Now campaign.

    Today’s tough economic times are affecting everyone -- your friends, your family and your co-workers. People who have never needed help before are now asking for assistance.

    At local nonprofits agencies, government funding has been cut, donations are down, and there is a tremendous demand on services for basic needs.

    Here’s what our local the agencies are experiencing:

    In Palm Beach County:

    • 84% of local agencies have seen an increase in demand for services – with 56% of them seeing a significant increase in demand
    • 66% of local agencies are reporting a decrease in individual donations

    On the Treasure Coast:

    • 88% of local agencies have seen an increase in demand for services – with 69% of them seeing a significant increase in demand
    • 58% of local agencies are reporting a decrease in individual donations

    Help us help them. Give $5 Now to United Way and ask five of your friends to do the same. Donations will help local agencies meet today’s tremendous demand for services in your county. 

    Click here for the Give5Now homepage to make a donation and tell five of your friends about it.

  • Nominate a local hero for a Jefferson Award

    Do you know somebody in Palm Beach County or the Treasure Coast who goes above and beyond for their local community?  Nominate them for a Jefferson Award today!

    Click here for the nomination form and profiles on last year's 5 local honorees.

    The Jefferson Awards are a prestigious, national recognition program honoring community & public service.

    Today, their primary purpose is to serve as a Call to Action for Volunteers in local communities.

    WPTV will be selecting five, local Jefferson Award winners during the month of February.

    One local winner will then be selected to attend the Gala Dinner and National Ceremony in Washington D.C.

    During the week of March 16th, NewsChannel 5 Anchor, Tania Rogers will profile one Jefferson Award winner each night during the 5:30 p.m. newscast.

    A celebratory reception will be held in March at WPTV for the five local Jefferson Award winners.

  • Inauguration coverage on WPTV.com

    WPTV.com is your source for coverage of the Inauguration of Barack Obama!

    You can watch the full inauguration ceremony live Tuesday, January 20 at wptv.com/inauguration.

    In the meantime, visit our inauguration page for complete coverage leading up to the historic event.  There, you can watch inaugural speeches from George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, Ronald Reagan and John F. Kennedy.  There are also numerous video reports previewing the event and the news leading up to it.  In addition, there are fun facts about inaugurations.

    If you're attending the event in Washington, D.C., log on to wptv.com/youreport to upload your photos and videos or write about your experience.  Your material may be shown during a WPTV newscast or featured on our homepage.

  • Check flights and travel forecasts at WPTV.com

    WPTV.com has several tools you can use before your holiday travel.  There are also some useful things for you if you're picking up loved ones at the airport.

    On our NEW area airports page, you can check arrivals and departures at PBIA and Ft. Lauderdale.  The page also contains a link to a real-time flight tracker for flights around the U.S. and links to Miami and Orlando International Airports.

    Go to the weather page and LIVE VIPIR 5 Interactive Radar to check the winter weather forecasts, plus 5-days and current conditions for wherever you're planning to travel.

    Here's a how-to video by Chief Meteorologist Steve Weagle on how to use the new radar.

    Happy holidays and safe traveling from WPTV.com!

  • WPTV.com has a new weather page!

    Please direct your browser to www.wptv.com/weather and check out the new weather page at WPTV.com.  We're very excited to bring some great new tools and areas of content to our users.
     
    The centerpiece of the new weather page is the LIVE VIPIR 5 Interactive radar.  Take some time to explore the new radar.  Here, you can track showers live by animating the map and zooming down to your community.  You can switch from the default terrain view to map view or satellite view.  The radar is interfaced with Google mapping so you can zoom all the way down to your own house in satellite view. 
     
    Check the boxes below the radar to see current conditions, 5-day-forecasts, severe weather information, etc.  There are many features that will be invaluable to us during the rainy season and hurricane season, in addition to the day-to-day functions of it.
     
     
     
    Please comment and let us know what you think about the new interactive radar, the new pages on the site, and what you would like to see that would make the weather page better.
  • Find local gas prices by entering zip code


    If you're like us, you're looking for any way you can to save money at the pump.  To help you find the gas stations with the lowest prices, use our Pump Patrol tool. 

    Follow the link below to the page and enter your local zip code in the box.  Click the red arrow or press enter to see a list of gas stations in your area, sorted by gas prices. 

    Data for gas prices is updated several times per day from stations and spotters like you.  You can also use the tool to monitor crude oil prices or check gas prices nationwide.  We'd like to help you find gas for the lowest price.  Let us know how you use the Pump Patrol tool and if you have any ideas to improve its functionality.

    You can find the Pump Patrol tool at:  http://www.wptv.com/pumppatrol

    >>wptv.com webteam
  • Resources on WPTV.com for managing your money

    WPTV.com has all the latest business news and several resources available that might help you make the financial decisions that are best for you and your family.

    In our business section, you can check in and monitor the stock ticker, read the latest stories from the business wire and watch the latest video report from Bloomberg news, updated several times daily.

    Also, WPTV.com has several guides that may be of use to you. 

    The WPTV.com credit counseling guide answers your questions about credit problems, budget help, debt collection and your credit rights.

    The WPTV.com banking and finance guide covers personal finance, debt, loans, investments and retirement.

    We also feature a mortgage guide and a tax guide.

    Our colleagues at the Scripps Howard News Service have produced a series of stories that you might find useful in navigating the current economic climate:

    What if I can't pay the minimum payment on my credit card?

    Which bill do I pay off first?

    What life is like after foreclosure

    Financial problems affecting the military

    How to find a job in a tough market

     

  • Check out our Interactive Storm Map


    It looks like South Florida can finally rest easily.  For the first time since Tropical Storm Fay's landfall, our region sits outside any imminent hurricane/tropical storm threat. 

    Since Sept. 10th marks the midpoint of the peak of Hurricane Season, we've posted an interactive storm map on the site that allows the user to monitor most parameters (wind speed, spaghetti models, track, etc.) of storms past and present.  Although we'd prefer to not have to use the feature, it's there for you and so far response has been positive.  Here's what you're saying: 

    "I love the new addition to the weather section on the wptv web site. Thank u because I can interact with it and not just look at a screen."  -George, via email

    "I enjoyed the interactive hurricane site.  I looked for the tides for Delray Beach and Boynton Beach.  There doesn't seem to be a link to that information.  That would be a helpful addition for those of us who like to walk the beach front."  -Phyllis, via email

    "We are all absolutely in love with the new interactive map!! It is beautiful. Everyone cant stop looking at it. People walking by are asking for the website."  Main Summit Post Office, via email


    >>You can find the page here or by visiting our HurricanePlus section.  Feel free to let us know what you think of the interactive storm map.  Post a comment or email webteam@wptv.com.

    -Webteam



     

  • Upload your high school football highlights, photos and articles to WPTV.com

    Would you like to report for WPTV.com on high school football?

    We've added a new folder to our YouReport page, so that users can upload high school football video, photos and articles to WPTV.com.

    You can do something as simple as reporting a score and listing game statistics, or you can upload your own video reporting on a game for the rest of the WPTV.com community to view.

    To participate, just click on this link, and then click on the High School Football folder.  Click the "create a story" button and you can send photos, video or text about your game.

    If high school football is not your game, check out the other folders on the page and upload your photos, videos or community calendar entries.  If you think we should add folders for other types of content you'd like to report on, send us an email at webteam@wptv.com.

     

  • WPTV.com's Community Calendar feature

    WPTV.com now features a "Community Calendar" function. 

    If you want to see what's going on in your neighborhood, check the calendar for any events that have been entered.

    Just like our "YouReport" section, the community calendar belongs to our users.  You can add your organization's events;  from huge community festivals to small neighborhood barbeques. 

    Click here to access WPTV.com's Community Calendar.  Just click "Add your calendar event here" and enter all the necessary information, links and contacts.  Once a WPTV.com moderator approves the entry, it will be visible to all visitors.

  • Too much Fay coverage, or not enough?

    What do you think?  Tropical Storm Fay is slowly inching its way out of our television viewing area.  Was the television coverage from WPTV Newschannel 5 too much, not enough or just right?

    Fay had a minimal effect on Palm Beach County, outside of the tornado damage in Wellington and a canceled school day.  The effects on the Treasure Coast, however, were much greater. 

    Take a look at some of the hundreds of photos sent in by WPTV.com users:

    Click here for the user galleries.

    As the storm moved north throughout Tuesday, the water level in the photos got progressively higher.  Now, Treasure Coast residents are still figuring out how to get out of their driveways and neighborhoods.

    Throughout the course of our on-air coverage, we received several emails regarding our coverage.  About half were thanking us for breaking in to the Olympics with updates on Fay and its effects on the area.  The other half were very upset that their Olympic viewing was being interrupted by "rain with a name".

    So what do you think?  How much is too much coverage?  Please comment below and let us know where you live, because that may or may not have something to do with your answer.

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