The  Internal Revenue Service starts accepting and processing tax returns today, marking the official start of tax season. This year’s deadline gives us three extra days to file, with that day now April 18. Why? April 15 falls on a weekend and add to that the District of Columbia’s Emancipation Day holiday falling on April 17.

This past weekend kicked off the start of Gasparilla season with the Children’s Parade on Saturday with thousands along Bayshore Blvd. screaming for beads. The big day will be this Saturday with the annual pirate invasion and a similar parade route along Bayshore Blvd. For more information on the day, check here.

How big does the Powerball jackpot have to grow to get our attention? This might do it. No one won Friday night, so now the jackpot for tonight’s drawing will be $502 million. That’s nowhere near record territory; for that, you’d have to add another $200 million to even make it into the top ten.

Some charities in Tampa Bay have benefitted from the AmazonSmile program, which allows the customer to designate a charity to receive a portion of the cost of their order. But Wednesday, Amazon said the program will end on February 20th. Amazon is cutting a record 18,000 employees and expansion plans have slowed down as well.

A rescue team from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission helped rescue a manatee suffering from the cold water in Bayboro Harbor in St Petersburg Thursday. ZooTampa is now taking care the male manatee for rehabilitation. If you do spot wildlife in trouble, please call the FWC Wildlife Alert Toll-Free Number: 1-888-404-FWCC (1-888-404-3922), press “7″ to speak with an operator or text *FWC or #FWC.

There’s a shortage of emergency medical technicians, and the Crisis Center is now working with Ultimate Medical Academy to for an EMT Apprenticeship Program. A funding grant will pay for tuition and students will get on-the-job experience. For more information and to apply please go here. Ann Kelly spoke with Clara Reynolds, President and CEO of The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay to discuss their collaboration with Ultimate Medical Academy. and for that podcast, just click here.

A new report from the Transportation Security Administration has ranked Tampa International Airport 10th on the list of guns confiscated at TSA checkpoints. Topping the list is Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, with two other Florida airports in the top ten. Those are Orlando International Airport and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. You can see the full list from the TSA here.

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