The motormen, Corporal Luis Paez, Deputy Ralpha “Butch” Waller and Deputy Ignacio “Dan” Diaz, died last month when an SUV struck them on the side of a road just a week before Thanksgiving.

Preparations are underway for a procession and memorial service at the iTHINK Financial Amphitheater, along the same road where that deadly crash happened.

Palm Beach County Nov 25

3rd Palm Beach deputy dies days after crash that killed 2 fellow motormen

Palm Beach County Nov 22

‘This is a pretty big loss for us': Memorial set up for fallen Palm Beach motor deputies killed in crash

Palm Beach County Nov 21

What we know about the Palm Beach motor deputies involved in ‘horrific' deadly crash

NBC affiliate WPTV reports that the procession will depart the Palms West Funeral Home at about 9:30 a.m. Participation in the procession is restricted to family members of the fallen deputies and PBSO personnel only. The service at the Amphitheater is open to the public.

The motormen were checking for speeders near Lion Country Safari the morning of Nov. 21. It was around 9:15 a.m. when the Pennsylvania driver of an SUV veered off the road and struck all three men.

Both Paez and Waller died at the hospital within an hour of that crash. Diaz died four days later.

Right before the fatal crash, dashcam captured the men working on a motorcycle that wouldn’t start on the shoulder of Southern Boulevard near Loxahatchee.

So far no charges have been filed against the driver who struck them.

Drivers are urged to avoid the following areas or expect heavy delays between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m.:

• Eastbound Okeechobee Boulevard between Crestwood Boulevard and State Road 7 (8 a.m. – noon)
• State Road 7 between Southern Boulevard and Okeechobee Boulevard (8 a.m. – noon)
• Westbound Southern Boulevard west of Florida’s Turnpike (8 a.m. – noon)
• Eastbound Southern Boulevard, Northlake Boulevard and the State Road 7 extension may experience significant delays

The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said the public is welcome to pay their respects to the fallen deputies by lining the procession route.

The following are suggested viewing areas:

• Okeechobee Boulevard (State Road 7 west to Crestwood Boulevard)
• Crestwood Boulevard (Okeechobee Boulevard south to Southern Boulevard)

The Levan Center Cyber Range located at Nova Southeastern University helps business owners fortify their online systems to help prevent cyberattacks.

The cyber range creates as virtual environment that simulates real-world cyberattacks and can bring vulnerabilities to light in an organization’s network, server or operating system.

“It’s almost like a fire drill for cyber security incidents,” said cybersecurity trainer Ross Seay. 

Seay works with Maverc Technologies. He says cyber ranges can be used to train company employees, students, IT specialist and more.

“We can create it virtualized using virtualization technology and then we can simulate certain attacks, real-life attacks, that hackers are using,” Seay said.

But spotting a system’s vulnerabilities only goes so far. Many data breaches happen because employees get tricked into clicking on a phishing scam.

“We need to start training end users more into how to create passwords that can be protected and not using the passwords that you use for banking and other systems several times,” said the Deputy Executive Director of the Levan NSU Broward Center of Innovation Mili Orsini Peluso.

The truth is, no system is bulletproof.

But with training and early threat detection, companies can better safeguard your data and hold off cybercriminals.

“Business owners need to know where their infrastructure stands in regards to cyber security and how easy it can be compromised,” Peluso said.

The Levan NSU Broward Center of Innovation is a private public partnership between NSU and Broward County. It helps support start-ups and South Florida entrepreneurs.

Circuit Judge Michael Kraynick imposed the sentence in Orlando on Sarah Boone, 47, for the 2020 killing of 42-year-old Jorge Torres.

A jury deliberated only 90 minutes Oct. 25 before convicting Boone of the second-degree murder of Jorge Torres after a 10-day trial. Boone had insisted she was herself a victim of domestic violence at the hands of Torres and had rejected a plea deal offer of a 15-year sentence.

Torres’ family members testified at the hearing that his death has torn them apart.

“Sarah deserves to rot in jail,” said a sister, Victoria Torres. “Sarah has caused a lifetime of pain.”

In her own statement, Boone went through a litany of abuse by Torres she said occurred over many years, decried the way her trial was handled and covered by the media, yet asked forgiveness for her actions.

“I forgive myself for falling in love with a monster. I tried breaking the spell … I never stopped loving him,” said Boone, who has been in jail for 58 months. “I didn’t mean for this to happen. Forgive me Jorge. Forgive me Torres family.”

At first, Boone told Orange County Sheriff’s Office investigators that she and Torres had been drinking heavily and playing hide-and-seek on Feb. 23, 2020, in their Winter Park, Florida, residence when they thought it would be amusing for the 103-pound (47-kilogram) Torres to climb into the suitcase. Winter Park is a suburb of Orlando.

They had been drinking alcohol and she decided to go to sleep, figuring that Torres could get out of the suitcase on his own, she told detectives in an arrest report.

When she woke up the next morning, she didn’t find Torres but then remembered he was in the suitcase. She unzipped the suitcase and found him unresponsive, the arrest report said.

Boone was charged with second-degree murder after investigators found videos on her cellphone in which Torres is heard yelling from inside the suitcase that he couldn’t breathe and repeatedly calling out Boone’s name, according to the arrest report.

“She decided to keep (Torres) in the suitcase when he said he could not breathe in it to terrorize him,” prosecutor William Jay said in a court filing. “She then struck him with a baseball bat.”

Boone rejected a plea offer from prosecutors that would have imposed a 15-year prison sentence in exchange for her guilty plea to a reduced manslaughter charge.

During her trial, Boone testified that past violent incidents between her and Torres caused her to perceive a threat of imminent harm and that she acted in self-defense by keeping him in the suitcase.

“Yeah that’s what you do when you choke me,” Boone said in one of the cellphone videos from that night, according to the arrest report. “Oh, that’s what I feel like when you cheat on me.”

The parking lot of Jaycee Hall along Hollywood Boulevard next to I-95 turned into a crime scene Sunday as police investigated.

About 30 minutes after the baby shower ended, police say an altercation outside the venue led to gunfire. One person died on the scene, three others were rushed to the Memorial Regional Hospital where a second person died. Police say two of the remaining victims remain hospitalized, one in the intensive care unit.

Hollywood 13 hours ago

‘Stop with the violence': Manager of Hollywood venue speaks out after baby shower shooting

Hollywood Dec 1

Two dead, two injured in shooting during baby shower in Hollywood

One of the victims has been identified as Octavious Jackson, a Miami Gardens resident whose family is asking for support.

The GoFundMe account honors his life, and posts from a Miami Carol City 1998 reunion group share that Jackson was a football player known as OJ and the Juice, who became a father, friend and working man.

The group also shared that another alumnus, who was also a father and friend to many, lost his life.

An altercation outside the venue escalated to a shooting as hosts were cleaning up after the event.

“I was pretty shocked because nothing like that has ever happened,” said Debra Gronvold, the manager of Jaycee Hall since 1999. “But this was quite the mess.”

She said roughly 80 people were present, celebrating the shower and a couple’s 10th anniversary.

Police are still investigating what exactly led up to the shooting, and whether any of the baby shower attendees were injured or involved.

Authorities said they have identified persons of interest, but as of Monday night, no arrests have been made. They revealed they put out a be-on-the-lookout alert to officers Sunday for a vehicle with occupants that might have information on the shooting. They didn’t say if the vehicle has been found.

“Please, everybody, love your neighbor, stop with the violence, that’s all I can say,” Gronvold shared. “People with guns and just shooting each other has gotten out of hand.”

The event manager says guns are not allowed on the premises, but moving forward, says she will require private security for events past midnight and potentially not allow alcohol.

The shooting happened before 3 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 24 in the 2400 block of Northwest 41st Avenue, according to Lauderhill Police.

Officers found Jimar Murray suffering from gunshot wounds in the parking lot, police said. He was transported to Broward Health Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Murray was killed the day before he was supposed to enlist in the Army, his parents said.

His mother, who didn’t want to speak on camera, said the last time she saw her son was the night before the shooting. The teen told her he was going on a party bus with his friends and would see her in the morning.

She said she didn’t know if the shooting was random or targeted.

Information on a motive is under investigation, police said Monday.

Witnesses said they heard fighting in the parking lot before a single gunshot.

The family said Murray’s goal after serving in the Army was to become a firefighter. On Thursday, they will hold a lantern release in the teen’s memory.

Police are still searching for a suspect. Anyone with information is asked to call the Lauderhill Police Department at 954-497-4700 or Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477 (TIPS).

The issue of the Doral incinerator and its future was supposed to come up at Tuesday’s Miami-Dade County Commission meeting, but the mayor confirmed that the commission will likely vote on whether to defer the issue.

“So this has been a long process,” Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said.

The chair of the commission told NBC6 that the mayor told him she wanted the issue deferred. Commissioner Raquel Regalado officially requested the deferral.

Ultimately, the commission will decide how long to put the issue on hold.

Previous coverage

Miami-Dade County Nov 27

Presidential political pressure could end up playing role in Doral's incinerator saga

Miami-Dade County Nov 25

Fight is on to keep new trash incinerator out of Doral ahead of vote

Last week, the Trump family got involved with the ongoing saga. The President-elect’s son, Eric Trump, met with Commissioner Juan Carlos Bermudez and told him he called the mayor to voice his concerns about keeping the incinerator in Doral, where Trump National Doral is located.

Levine Cava did confirm having a conversation with Eric Trump and told him all options were on the table.

“We had already decided that we wanted to take a little more time to explore some other options. I was able to say, we’re open to options,” she said.

Two weeks ago, the mayor recommended keeping the incinerator in Doral.

Talk of relocating the facility started last year when the existing one was destroyed by a fire. Four areas had been proposed, including the current Doral location, a site in Medley, and two sites near the Miami-Dade/Broward western border.

The mayor said she recently met with environmentalists, who asked for alternative options.

“So one of the options that we had looked at but we’re going to look at again is the possibility of more landfilling, not necessarily locally, so we’re looking at all options, and I think it’s appropriate to take a little more time,” Levine Cava said.

The likely decision to defer is welcomed news by those affected, like the city of Doral and its mayor, Christi Fraga.

“I think this is a step in the right direction,” Fraga said.

Fraga said she has also been in touch with the Trump Organization as well as other stakeholders to try and find other solutions.

“We’ll continue to have a conversation and put an action plan in what is the right solution for the county long term,” Fraga said.

In a court filing challenging Hunter Biden’s request to dismiss the California indictment against him in light of his father’s pardon Sunday night, Weiss noted that a number of judges had already rejected the younger Biden’s claims of vindictive prosecution.

In a statement announcing the “full and unconditional” pardon, the president said, “I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted,” referring to the cases brought by Weiss that led to a guilty verdict on gun-related charges in Delaware and a guilty plea on tax and fraud charges in California.

“I believe in the justice system, but as I have wrestled with this, I also believe raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice,” Biden said.

In the court filing, Weiss’s office did not directly mention the president’s statement but noted that Hunter Biden filed eight motions to dismiss the California indictment, “making every conceivable argument for why it should be dismissed, all of which were determined to be meritless.”

“Of note, the defendant argued that the indictment was a product of vindictive and selective prosecution. The Court rejected that claim finding that ‘[a]s the Court stated at the hearing, Defendant filed his motion without any evidence.’ And there was none and never has been any evidence of vindictive or selective prosecution in this case,” the filing said.

It noted that Hunter Biden “made similar baseless accusations” in the Delaware case, which that judge rejected, as well. Three appeals court panels also rejected Hunter Biden’s arguments, the filing said.

“In total, eleven (11) different Article III judges appointed by six (6) different presidents, including his father, considered and rejected the defendant’s claims, including his claims for selective and vindictive prosecution,” the filing said. 

In filings Sunday night, Hunter Biden’s attorney Abbe Lowell argued the presidential pardon “requires an automatic dismissal of the Indictment.”

Weiss argued in the California filing and a separate filing in Delaware that courts typically “do not dismiss indictments when pardons are granted.”

“The Government does not challenge that the defendant has been the recipient of an act of mercy. That does not mean the grand jury’s decision to charge him, based on a finding of probable cause, should be wiped away as if it never occurred,” the Delaware filing said.

“It also does not mean that his charges should be wiped away because the defendant falsely claimed that the charges were the result of some improper motive or selective prosecution. No court has agreed with the defendant on these baseless claims, and his request to dismiss the indictment finds no support in the law,” it added.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Responding to Weiss’ filing late Monday, Lowell argued the judge has the right — and reason — to dismiss the underlying indictment.

“Mr. Biden has not been sentenced and no judgment has been entered in this case. Because no judgment has been or will be entered in this case, the appropriate resolution is to dismiss the Indictment while noting that is due to a pardon,” Lowell wrote. 

Hunter Biden had been scheduled to be sentenced in both cases this month.

This article first appeared on NBCNews.com. Read more from NBC News here:

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The school was placed on a code red lockdown around 11 a.m. Monday. Miami-Dade Schools Police Chief Ivan Silva said they received a threat that there were bombs inside the school and that there was an armed person on campus.

That led to a familiar scene, of anxious parents waiting outside, helicopters overhead, dozens of police officers searching the building, and of course, students were inside thinking the worst-case scenario could be happening at their school.  

“I was terrified, I was really scared, I was really, really scared,” said senior Brenda Mirabet after she left school. “I’m so happy to be with my family right now.”

While the lockdown was going on, hundreds of parents and guardians gathered outside, waiting for information. Bryan Blanco was getting text messages from his nephew, a freshman. 

“He’s super scared, they were all in one angle of the class, the teacher said don’t move, don’t do anything, so I was very worried, I thought it was a real situation,” Blanco said. 

“Then they told us to close off the doors, shut out the lights,” said Ady Ruiz-Devilla, a senior. “It was very scary.”

She was among the students who left early after police cleared the school. I asked her what she thought of people who make prank threats against schools. 

“I think that a person like that should be in just as much trouble as a person who meant it because that creates a lot of fear and is something very stupid to do,” Rruiz-Devilla said.

Miami-Dade Schools Police Chief Ivan Silva told us if they catch the person who made the threat against Hialeah High, they will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law. 

“They’re not harmless pranks, these are real crimes that have real consequences, these calls, they disrupt our learning environment, they disrupt everything at the school and they exhaust resources, unnecessary, for no reason when they can be used somewhere else if needed,” Chief Silva said. 

It’s a felony, adults can get five years in prison for making false threats against a school. Kids making threats online or on the phone will also be prosecuted and also, they get kicked out of school. In the Hialeah case, police are still investigating and do not yet have anyone in custody.

The parking lot of Jaycee Hall along Hollywood Boulevard next to I-95 turned into a crime scene Sunday as police investigated.

About 30 minutes after the baby shower ended, police say an altercation outside the venue led to gunfire. One person died on the scene, three others were rushed to the Memorial Regional Hospital where a second person died. Police say two of the remaining victims remain hospitalized, one in the intensive care unit.

“That’s the horrible thing is, c’mon guys, that’s a baby shower, or a celebration, a birthday party – you don’t expect your guests to go outside and shoot each other,” said Debra Gronvold, the manager of Jaycee Hall since 1999. 

Talking about the violence brought Gronvold to tears. She says guns aren’t allowed on premises and they have several surveillance cameras inside and outside the venue, but none captured the shooting. Gronvold says the hall serves a vital role in the community. 

“Not only do the Jaycees have events here, we let the Lions, the Girl Scouts, Kiwanis meets here every Tuesday,” Gronvold said. “During the week it’s basically a community center and to make money we rent it out on the weekends.” 

The manager said the venue is changing their policies around security, requiring clients to hire off-duty security when parties run late.

It’s unclear whether anyone attending the baby shower was injured or involved in the shooting, which remains under police investigation. 

Police say they’ve identified persons of interest, but no arrests have been made.

Monday they revealed they put out a be-on-the-lookout alert to officers Sunday for a vehicle with occupants that might have information on the shooting. They didn’t say if the vehicle has been found.

“Please, everybody, love your neighbor, stop with the violence, that’s all I can say,” Gronvold shared.

On Nov. 16, a TikTok user posted about an unfortunate extra they received with an order of breadsticks at the popular pasta chain.

“Guys, why is there letters on my Olive Garden breadstick?” the user asked. The post consists of a single picture: a hand holding a half-eaten breadstick with the letters “O” and “K” as well as the number “6” in black printed text on its side.

The image-based TikTok quickly went viral, amassing more than 4 million views and thousands of comments.

“I’ve worked there and I’ve never seen this before 😭,” wrote one user, and another asked, “How did it happen though?”

“They’re from frozen bags so the label must’ve like gotten on that one,” one user posited. 

Other commenters who claimed to be former or current employees also thought the text was part of the coding on plastic bags that the sticks come in.

“it’s like when you do the tongue tattoos with fruit rollups the print stuck onto the bread but just a thought,” one hypothesized.

Others chimed in with similar experiences they had while eating out at restaurants.

“THIS HAPPENED TO MY FAMILY WHEN I WAS A KID!!!” one user wrote. “they gave us a pizza w receipt ink on the cheeze we could literally read it all😭😭 we got free dessert.”

“One time I had a price tag on the bottom of my egg bite from starbucks,” another said, and when the original poster asked them if they ate it, the user replied, “I was hungry what can I say.” 

Neither the TikTok user nor representatives for Olive Garden immediately responded to TODAY.com’s request for comment.

But the official Olive Garden account commented the following on the TikTok: “We are concerned to see this. Can you please send an email to social@olivegarden.com with your full name, and the location you went to?”

Four days later, the TikToker and Olive Garden seemingly got in touch over email. Even though every Olive Garden entrée comes with a never-ending first course of soup or salad and breadsticks, the chain gifted the TikToker with a $100 gift card for the error.

The user uploaded a second TikTok to their account on Nov. 20, four days after their breadstick blunder.

“Thank you olive gardens,” the TikToker wrote over a screenshot of an email from Olive Garden. 

Commenters lauded the chain for its response. One wrote, “Now that’s good service,” and another said, “Olive Garden don’t play AROUND.”

“How do I get numbers on my breadstick?” someone else asked.

For now, this mystery surrounding the unlimited carb remains unsolved.

This article first appeared on TODAY.com. Read more from TODAY here:

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Some unit owners at 1060 Brickell Avenue say there’s a lack of transparency on behalf of the board of directors at this 16-year-old building. 

“In the last six months, things have really escalated,” said unit owner Evan Cohen. 

An attorney representing the condo association says owners were given opportunities to tour damaged areas and view the scope of repairs before the assessment was finalized.

“Engineering firms have come in and done the inspections and the board is following those recommendations,” said attorney Marc Halpern. 

Unit owner Evan Cohen says he read the inspection report and doesn’t believe it warrants $21 million in repairs right now.

“The report actually doesn’t use any of the same terms that the board used, critical, life-threatening. None of these terms are even used in the report. The report says things according to several engineers in our building that are normal wear and tear for a building that is 15-16 years old now,” Cohen said.

Condo resident Marthin Chan feels the process has been rushed and pushed through without unit owner approval.

“During the holidays, everything is at the last minute. They are pushing a lot of repairs really fast,” Chan said.

The 1060 Brickell condo owners say they have to pay anywhere from $30,000 to $110,000 per unit. 

Aside from the assessment, there’s a discrepancy surrounding a new board election. The condo owners who spoke to NBC6 say an election was held Saturday appointing a new board, however, the attorney representing the association says it was not an election.

“I believe there is an annual meeting and election of directors currently scheduled for the 21st of this month, it was rescheduled. It was originally scheduled to take place this Saturday but was postponed until the 21st I believe,” Halpern said.

“Two days before the election we got an email saying the election is being cancelled. Another person withdrew without any support. So we went ahead with the state board and we had the election anyway,” Cohen said.

NBC6 reached out to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation to see who they recognize as the board and if in fact there was an election on Saturday. We are waiting for a response. 

Daniel Lugo and Noel Doorbal were sentenced to death in the late 1990s in the killings of Golden Beach couple Kriztina Furton and Frank Griga, who were injected with horse tranquilizers, murdered, dismembered and put into barrels in 1995.

“What did it look like when they put a hood over (Kriztina’s) heads as she is screaming for Frank, and then they injected her with enough horse tranquilizer to kill a horse,” prosecutor Scott Warfman said in court Monday.

The victims’ torsos were stuffed in barrels, and other body parts were found in buckets across Broward County.

“Without his head hands and his feet – (Kriztina), also in an oil barrel, was 5’5, about 40 pounds without her head, her hands, and her feet,” Warfman said.

The pair were part of the misfit crew of muscle men that became known in the ’90s as the Sun Gym Gang. The name is taken from the Miami Lakes area gym they used as home base.

The murders, along with the kidnapping, torture and attempted murder of another man, inspired the 2013 film “Pain & Gain,” directed by Michael Bay and starring Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

Lugo, the alleged ringleader, was played by Wahlberg, while Doorbal was played by Anthony Mackie. Johnson’s character was based on several Sun Gym Gang members.

Although Lugo and Doorbal were given a death sentence, their sentences were thrown out, and now jurors must decide whether they’ll receive life in prison or the death sentence again.

Opening statements began Monday in the resentencing, and the penalty phase trial is complex. Unlike other cases involving co-defendants, both Lugo and Doorbal have their own jury to judge them, so there are two juries in the courtroom.

Marlena Velez, 22, was arrested Saturday on a theft charge in connection with a Nov. 20 theft case, Cape Coral Police said Monday.

Velez regularly posts content about her life as a mom of two on her TikTok account, where she had more than 360,000 followers.

According to police, Velez selected items at the store and went to a self-checkout register, where she scanned a false barcode instead of the barcodes on some of the merchandise, police said.

In total, 16 items including household goods and clothing with a value of around $225 were stolen, police said.

Police said officers recognized Velez from her privious arrest and the wallpaper photo on her phone, which is the same as the photo on her Instagram account and from the previous shoplifting case.

A man who was with Velez during the theft also has a unique tattoo that is the same one seen in some of Velez’s TikTok videos, police said.

Velez had been arrested last month in connection with a similar theft case at the same Target.

In that case, from Oct. 30, around $500 worth of household goods and clothing were take with the same false barcode scheme, police said.

Police said they found a video Velez posted on TikTok getting ready on the day of the theft, wearing the same outfit as the woman seen on Target’s security video — a tan shirt, tan pants and glasses. Velez recorded herself picking out the items inside the store and then taking them home with her, police said.

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Aerial footage from Chopper 6 showed multiple officers from Hialeah Police and Miami-Dade Schools Police responding to the school on E. 47th Street.

At one point, a group of officers were seen walking out of the school, including one who was holding what appeared to be a rifle.

Police and district officials said the school was placed on a code red lockdown after they received a call of a possible gun on campus.

Officers were searching the school and no gun had been found, and officials believe it may have been a hoax.

pic.twitter.com/pcc9ogw3Z4

— Hialeah Police Department (@PoliceHialeah) December 2, 2024

No other information was immediately known.

Check back with NBC6 for updates.

Courtney Clenney, 28, is facing a second-degree murder charge in the April 2022 stabbing death of her boyfriend, 27-year-old Christian Obumseli, at the couple’s Edgewater condo.

Defense attorneys maintain she threw the knife at Obumseli in self-defense.

At Monday’s hearing, defense attorneys said all their depositions have been taken. The hearing was re-set for Friday.

Clenney, who went by the name Courtney Tailor on social media, including on OnlyFans, had more than 2 million Instagram followers at the time of Obumseli’s death.

The video posted by Only in Dade shows the Saturday night incident that happened along Miami Gardens Drive and Northeast 2nd Court.

In the video, officers arrive as several cars have taken over the intersection. Police lights are seen as a loud explosion goes off.

Officials said several cars aggressively drove toward a squad car and lit fireworks before the participants eventually fled.

There were no reports of anyone hurt.

While Art Basel often is the main headline of the event, the celebration is far more than just high-profile exhibitions. It’s a citywide celebration, where local institutions thrive.

In the heart of Little Haiti, Locust Projects displays Miami’s thriving art scene. This non-commercial gallery has been pushing the boundaries of artistic expression since its founding in 1998.

“For us, Art Miami Week has evolved into something much larger,” says Lori Mertes, Executive Director of Locust Projects. “It’s not just Art Basel anymore. It’s Miami Art Week. It’s everywhere—north, south, east, and west. The entire city is involved.”

Locust Projects has continued to challenge traditional expectations of what a gallery can offer. Its cavernous spaces, boasting 16-foot ceilings, have hosted everything from jackhammered floors to above-ground swimming pools — all in the name of creative freedom.

“During Art Miami Week, we open our doors for free,” Mertes adds. “We provide artists the opportunity to do things that traditional museums simply can’t accommodate.”

Not far away, the Historic Hampton House in Brownsville offers a fusion of art and Miami’s rich cultural history. Once a haven for civil rights leaders and jazz icons, the restored mid-century motel now serves as a vibrant cultural hub.

“When you visit the Hampton House, you’re experiencing both art and history,” says Curb Gardner, the Creative Director and Chief Strategy Officer. “It’s a jewel in Miami that many people don’t even know exists.”

For Art Miami Week, the Historic Hampton House is hosting a variety of events, including a VIP preview, live jazz performances, and its signature Sunday Soul Brunch.

Gardner emphasizes that their mission extends beyond entertainment.

While Art Miami Week attracts collectors and tourists from around the globe, institutions like Locust Projects and the Historic Hampton House ensure that art remains deeply rooted in the local community. They create accessible spaces for residents and visitors alike to engage with creativity and culture.

Even though e-commerce is now part and parcel of many people’s regular routines and the holiday shopping season, Cyber Monday — a term coined in 2005 by the National Retail Federation — has become the biggest online shopping day of the year, thanks to the deals and the hype the industry has created to fuel it.

Adobe Analytics, which tracks online shopping, expects consumers to spend a record $13.2 billion on Monday, 6.1% more than last year. That would make it the season’s — and the year’s — biggest — shopping day for e-commerce. In a survey from financial company Deloitte, consumers said they expect to spend a record $650 during Black Friday-Cyber Monday shopping events, up 15% from last year.

For several major retailers, a Cyber Monday sale is a days-long event that began over the Thanksgiving weekend. Amazon kicked off its sales event right after midnight Pacific time on Saturday. Target’s two days of discount offers on its website and app began overnight Sunday. Walmart rolled out its Cyber Monday offers for Walmart+ members on Sunday afternoon and opened it up to all customers three hours later, at 8 p.m. ET.

Many U.S. consumers continue to experience sticker shock following the period of post-pandemic inflation that left prices for many goods and services higher than they were three years ago. But retail sales nonetheless have remained strong, and the economy has kept growing at a healthy pace.

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As retailers enter the holiday shopping season, the winners are pulling away from the pack

At the same time, credit card debt and delinquencies have been rising. More shoppers than ever are also on track to use “buy now, pay later” plans this holiday season, which allows them to delay payments on holiday decor, gifts and other items.

Many economist have also warned that President-elect Donald Trump’s plan to impose tariffs next year on foreign goods coming into the United States would lead to higher prices on everything from food to clothing to automobiles.

The National Retail Federation expects holiday shoppers to spend more this year both in stores and online than last year. But the pace of spending growth will slow slightly, the trade group said, growing 2.5% to 3.5% — compared to 3.9% in 2023.

A clear sense of consumer spending patterns during the holiday season won’t emerge until the government releases sales data for the period, though preliminary data from other sources shows some encouraging signs for retailers.

U.S. shoppers spent $10.8 billion online on Black Friday, a 10.2% increase over last year, according to Adobe Analytics. That’s also more than double what consumers spent in 2017, when Black Friday pulled in roughly $5 billion in online sales. Consumers also spent a record $6.1 billion online on Thanksgiving Day, Adobe said.

Software company Salesforce, which also tracks online shopping, estimated that Black Friday online sales totaled $17.5 billion in the U.S. and $74.4 billion globally.

E-commerce platform Shopify said its merchants raked in a record $5 billion in sales worldwide on Black Friday. At its peak, sales reached $4.6 million per minute — with top categories by volume including clothing, cosmetics and fitness products, according to the Canadian company.

Toys, electronics, home goods, self-care and beauty categories were among the key drivers of holiday spending on Thanksgiving and Black Friday, according to Adobe. “Hot products” included Lego sets, espresso machines, fitness trackers, makeup and skin care.

Other data showed physical stores saw fewer customers on Black Friday, underscoring how the huge crowds that were once synonymous with the day after Thanksgiving are now more than happy to shop from the comfort of their homes.

RetailNext measures real-time foot traffic in stores and has collected data that shows store traffic on Friday was down 3.2% in the U.S. compared to last year, with the biggest dip happening in the Midwest.

Sensormatic Solutions also tracks store traffic and said its preliminary analysis showed retail store traffic on Black Friday was down 8.2% compared to 2023.

Grant Gustafson, head of analytics at Sensormatic Solutions, noted in-store traffic was getting spread across multiple days since many retailers offered generous discounts before and after Black Friday,

“Some of the extended Black Friday promotions really ended up leading to a little bit of a softer day-of traffic than expected,” Gustafson said.

While physical items like toys and electronics are always popular around the holidays, experts note that consumers have turned to more “experience-driven spending” in recent years, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic waned.

Jie Zhang, a marketing professor at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, told The Associated Press ahead of the post-Thanksgiving shopping weekend that he expected shoppers to “indulge themselves a bit more” when it comes to self-gifting.

Investigators responded to the scene near the 300 block of Avondale Drive shortly before midnight after receiving a report of a shooting, Broward Sheriff’s Office officials said.

Deputies found a man who’d been shot, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. He was later identified as Roderick Henry.

Surveillance footage from a nearby home showed deputies responding to the area and walking along a sidewalk with flashlights.

Few details were known but a body could be seen covered at the scene and was later removed by the medical examiner’s office Monday morning.

Officials said the shooter or shooters fled the scene.

The incident happened outside a Department of Corrections facility which functions as a community release center for people released from prison.

It’s unknown if anyone from the facility was involved in the shooting.

Homicide detectives are investigating the incident and working to determine what led to the shooting.

A $10,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest. Anyone with information is asked to call Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS.

Check back with NBC6 for updates.

Broward Sheriff’s Office officials said a large crowd, including many minors, gathered at the shopping complex when the altercations erupted.

Florida Highway Patrol said troopers assisted with the disturbance, which involved over 200 people.

As authorities intervened to disperse the crowd, they arrested eight minors and recovered four firearms, BSO officials said.

Authorities have not yet disclosed the identities or ages of the arrested minors, nor the cause of the fights.

Venezuelans in more than 150 cities around the world took to the streets demanding that the International Criminal Court expedite proceedings.

“We’ve been waiting a long time for them to issue an arrest warrant for Nicolás Maduro. What more proof do they need? There is so much proof of the crimes committed by his regime,” said Maria Teresa Morin with opposition group Comando Con Venezuela.

Protestors attended a rally in Doral wearing red lipstick and scarves as symbols of resistance. Others had a red hand smeared over their faces, representing the silence imposed by the Maduro regime. 

The ICC will begin on Monday a week of meetings in the Netherlands. Venezuelan opposition leaders say the agenda prioritizes other topics that don’t appear to include Venezuela. 

“They asked us for a pacific solution in Venezuela and that’s what we did. We won the election fairly,” said Jose Prusza.

Opposition leaders denounce the detention of more than 2,000 political prisoners. They say they are subject to inhumane treatment and an unfair judicial process.

The head of the opposition movement in Venezeula, Maria Corina Machado, called this massive protest hoping the ICC and the world will take notice.

Senator Rick Scott also commented on the protests, saying, “There is a new day of freedom coming for Venezuela soon and I won’t stop my fight until this day.”

Around 12:47 p.m., City of Miami Fire Rescue responded to reports of a kitchen fire at Zuma Restaurant at 270 Biscayne Blvd.

Fortunately, no injuries were reported. Authorities confirmed that the EPIC Hotel itself was not impacted by the fire, though the restaurant will remain closed for the time being due to extensive smoke and water damage in the kitchen area.

Video footage shows thick smoke emanating from the EPIC Hotel, covering parts of the Brickell Avenue Drawbridge.

Miami Fire Rescue reported that sprinklers were activated and helped extinguish the fire, while crews worked to put out some remaining “hot spots” in the vent.

Wait, what?

Yes, the invasive green lizard now rampant in South Florida may soon start to chill as temperatures dip with oncoming cold fronts. 

But how cold is too cold for the nonnative reptile? And what should you do if you do find one in a chilly stupor?

We break it down. 

When do iguanas start to freeze?

Firstly, iguanas don’t exactly freeze right away.

Because the animal is cold-blooded, “when temperatures drop below a certain threshold, their metabolism slows down, and they become sluggish,” according to Iguana Control, a company specializing in removing the animal from South Florida properties. 

NBC affiliate WFLA reported in 2023 that according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, iguanas slow down when the thermostat dips below 50 degrees. 

They suffer a “cold stun” and may fall from trees when temperatures drop into the 40s and 30s. They could even literally freeze and die at lower temperatures.

But, in 2023, research suggested that Florida’s falling iguana phenomenon could be rarer in the future — both due to climbing global temperatures from unchecked climate change and a shift in cold hardiness in the lizards themselves. That’s right, the big lizards (cue the sci-fi movie music) appear to be adapting.

James Stroud, a postdoctoral research associate at Washington University in St. Louis, found that most of South Florida’s most common lizard species are able to withstand slightly lower temperatures in 2020 than they could even just four years earlier, a drop of about 2 degrees Fahrenheit, according to their paper published in the journal Biology Letters.

Stroud’s study found the magic number for all seven species they looked at was about 44 degrees Fahrenheit. At that point, most South Florida lizards freeze up.

Will iguanas fall from trees during this incoming cold front?

Another cold front arrives Sunday in South Florida, which will bring cooler weather Monday and even colder weather by Tuesday morning.

But the coldest morning looks to be Wednesday, when peak radiational cooling (light winds, clear skies, low humidity) will allow even Miami to dip into the mid-50 degrees.

That’s probably not enough to stun an iguana.

But in the suburbs, where it could be five degrees colder, one or two spots may briefly dip into the 40s. That’s when, depending on how early you wake up, you may find that it rained iguanas.

What do I do with a frozen iguana?

While the green reptiles may look dead, it’s best to leave them be—and don’t bring them into your home because once the temperatures heat back up, they’ll be revived and start to walk around.

Residents who encounter a stunned iguana can also humanely kill the animal if they’re able to, according to the FWC.

We’re expecting another burst of chillier air as a second cold front arrives early in the week.

This front will bring widespread 50s by Tuesday morning, with the chilly temperatures continuing into Wednesday.

With a northerly wind, any trace of humidity will disappear, and temperatures will easily drop to below-average levels.

By Tuesday afternoon, highs will struggle to break into the mid-70s. Luckily, we anticipate plenty of sunshine.

Temperatures will slowly bounce back later in the week.

By Thursday, highs will climb into the upper 70s, with no significant rain in sight.

At approximately 7:05 p.m., MDPD

Officers responded around 7 p.m. to reports of a shooting in the 13800 block of Southwest 262nd Street, where they found the teen suffering from apparent gunshot wounds, Miami-Dade Police officials said.

The victim was transported to Jackson South Medical Center, where he was reported to be in stable condition, according to authorities.

Police say the victim was walking with another teen when they heard gunshots. The 17-year-old realized he had been shot and ran to a nearby residence to call 911.

MDPD continues to search for the suspect and is asking the community for assistance. Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS.

“Every year there’s one or two things that make me scratch my head, and this year I was doing more head-scratching than normal,” Philip Klotzbach, a meteorologist at Colorado State University who specializes in Atlantic hurricane forecasts, told NBC News. 

Most forecasters predicted a hyperactive hurricane season as early as April, with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issuing its highest-ever forecast. 

In the end, 18 named storms, 11 hurricanes and five major hurricanes formed — at the lower end of the range most forecasters expected, though still an above-normal and “extremely active” season. 

What surprised researchers was the bizarre way the season played out. It got off to a roaring start when Hurricane Beryl became the first Category 5 storm seen in the Atlantic Ocean in June. But from mid-August through early September, all went quiet. That’s usually when the season reaches its peak — around Sept. 10. But not a single named storm developed during those weeks, the first time since 1968 that has happened. 

Just when researchers thought their forecasts were turning into busts, storm activity roared back to life and hurricanes Helen and Milton struck, causing billions in damage. 

“It took your normal seasonal cycle and turned it on its head,” Klotzbach said. “What stood out to me — it was like a switch flipped and it went completely off and completely on. It went from nothing to Helene and a bunch of storms in the east Atlantic and Milton.” 

Researchers are studying what led to the strange pattern to boost their understanding of the factors that drive hurricanes and improve future forecasts. 

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The reasons researchers predicted a busy, dangerous hurricane season this spring were record high ocean temperatures in the Atlantic and a likelihood that La Niña, a natural pattern of variability, would take hold. Ocean heat provides fuel for hurricanes, and it can enable them to intensify more quickly. La Niña is associated with hurricanes because it often decreases stability in the atmosphere. 

“Early on, we thought it would be the busiest season on record,” Klotzbach said.

Although ocean temperatures remained at or near record highs in the North Atlantic, La Niña did not develop strongly, said Matthew Rosencrans, the lead hurricane forecaster at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, a division of the National Weather Service. 

Other factors most likely combined to cause the surprising lull in activity, as well. 

About 60% of hurricanes form as a result of Africa’s tropical monsoon season, which draws moisture into an area called the Sahel. But this year, the monsoon developed in a different location. 

“The monsoon ended up so far north and was so intense it ended up in places that hadn’t had rain in 45 years,” Rosencrans said. The change dampened tropical storm development.

A separate climate pattern called the Madden Julian oscillation, which is a grouping of storms that travels near the equator, most likely also contributed, slowing storm development in early September and then allowing hurricanes to take off later in the month, Rosencrans said.

Researchers will spend the winter investigating which factors had the most influence via climate and weather models. 

“It’s an opportunity to learn, to look at the system and have the Earth teach us something new,” he said. 

Despite the midseason break from tropical storms, 2024 set several records. Five hurricanes made landfall in the continental U.S., tying several years for the second most in history, according to a review Klotzbach published. 

Helene was the strongest hurricane to ever strike Florida’s Big Bend. And seven hurricanes formed in the Atlantic after Sept. 25, the most in recorded history.

Hurricane Milton set a record for tornado warnings in Florida and spawned dozens of tornadoes. 

Research suggests climate change made Helene and Milton worse. Both hurricanes went through a rapid intensification process, in which a hurricane’s sustained wind speeds increase by at least 35 mph over 24 hours. The trend has become more common as global temperatures rise.  

What’s more, scientists who study the influence of climate change on weather found that rainfall in one-day events like Milton is now about 20% to 30% more intense because of climate change. The researchers, with the World Weather Attribution project, also determined that Milton’s wind speeds were most likely 10% stronger because of climate change’s influence. The group produced similar results for Hurricane Helene. 

A report published by Climate Central, a nonprofit organization that tracks climate trends, found that all 11 Atlantic hurricanes this year were intensified by an additional 9 to 28 mph because of human-caused global warming, primarily because of record warmth in the ocean. 

Rosencrans said research generally does not suggest that climate change will shift the number of named storms (those with winds of 39 mph or greater). However, a greater proportion of named storms will be expected to become hurricanes, and a larger share of those hurricanes will reach Category 4 or 5. That was true this year.

This story originally appeared on NBCNews.com. Read more from NBC News:

• Arctic blast cripples post-Thanksgiving travel as thundersnow and blizzard conditions threaten millions
• 6 pulled from rubble alive after explosion mangles Missouri home, authorities say
• FEMA chief grilled about government’s response to hurricanes Helene and Milton

The shooting happened around 1:30 a.m. in the parking lot of the Hollywood Jaycee Hall event venue at 2930 Hollywood Boulevard.

Officers responded and found four people suffering from gunshot wounds, Hollywood Police officials said.

One victim was pronounced dead at the scene, while another later died at the hospital. As of Monday afternoon, one victim remains in the ICU while another is out of the ICU and recovering. Their identities haven’t been released.

Police said the shooting occurred during an anniversary celebration at Jaycee Hall, where an altercation reportedly took place before the gunfire erupted.

The hall manager and executive director said the family was celebrating a baby shower when the gunfire rang out.

“I just talked to the client who was having a baby shower, and she says when they were inside, they heard gunshots from outside, and the next thing they knew, police were all there and they said they have not been notified by any guests about anyone being hurt,” manager Debra Gronvold said. “It wasn’t a crazy party going on, it was just, they just had it set up like a baby shower.”

The manager said the venue is changing their policies around security, requiring clients to hire off-duty security when parties run late and prohibiting firearms on the premises.

Detectives are investigating the circumstances surrounding the homicide and have identified several persons of interest. Hollywood Police said it appears that this was an isolated incident.

No arrests have been made at this time.

Hollywood police are asking anyone with information regarding this investigation to contact them at 954-764-4357.

To allow people more time to shop and spread the holiday cheer, the Miami Parking Authority is offering one hour of free extended parking through its annual Holiday Parking Courtesy Citation program.

So how does it work?

From Thursday, Nov. 28 at 12:01 a.m. through Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025 at 11:59 p.m., just pay for your session like normal, and when it expires, receive a special holiday courtesy citation flyer. That flyer will grant you up to one free hour of parking beyond the expiration time at all on-street parking spaces throughout Miami.

The program automatically applies to customers who use the PayByPhone app or single-space master meter to pay for parking. 

So why is the Magic City feeling so merry?

“Because, in a small way, it is our opportunity to thank customers, residents, merchants, and visitors for their loyalty throughout the year,” the Miami Parking Authority said in a news release. “It is also a time to support the economic development of Miami by allowing the public to have an additional free hour of parking to shop, run errands, and visit their favorite entertainment venues. Your support is what drives us to continue providing these services.”

Happy parking.

Plantation police said Saturday afternoon that the investigation on West Sunrise Boulevard and NW 65th Avenue was a “domestic incident.” They later said the shooting was fatal.

According to relatives, the victim is Clayous Peart, who went by Paul.

Peart’s son told NBC6 his father was married to his wife more than 20 years. He describes his father as a family man.

“If he saw me he would stop, put the window down, hi Bill, hi Paul, how you doing,” Yarrow said.

Authorities have not confirmed what may have led to the gunfire. They said they were actively searching for the shooter, who they have identified but not named publicly.

Multiple police perimeters closed the West Sunrise Boulevard and NW 65th Avenue in all directions, as authorities used a K-9 and helicopter to find the shooter.

Neighbors of the Apple Creek community told NBC6 that officers were in their yards searching for that suspect.

“I went outside. ‘Can I help you?’ [The officer] says, ‘Get back inside, there’s somebody we’re looking for,'” the president of the homeowner’s association said.

He described the victim as “an outstanding person, very friendly.”

Police said the subject they were searching for was armed, and residents should stay inside until further notice.

NBC6 has reached out to police to receive an update on their search.

This is a developing story. Refresh for updates.

The inferno happened around 11:30 p.m., when witness Ty Davis said an explosion shook the port and surrounding area.

Davis, who was with a group of friends at Gramps Getaway on the Rickenbacker Causeway, said he felt the boom from across the water.

“Next thing you know, we just hear super loud explosion, like full thud on the chest. And we were very confused from the direction it came from, and for awhile there was no smoke, no nothing,” he said.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue confirmed that a vehicle caught fire inside a shipping container at a cargo yard.

Firefighters rushed to the scene and doused the flames.

No one was injured.

Davis said he heard multiple bangs following the first one.

“When I was hearing those kind of afterwards I was getting a little bit more concerned,” he said. “I was like, did a cruise ship blow up, was this a cargo thing, was this planned, was this an accident?”

Multiple videos on social media showed the flames shooting into the night sky. Videos also captured the aftermath, as crews worked to contain the blaze.

“The way [the sound] reverberated through the dock, I felt it from my chest to my feet leave in just like one motion,” Davis said. “Very, very unexpected explosion, never had heard something that loud here.”

Officials are investigating what caused the fire.

Authorities said officers responded to a ShotSpotter alert at around 12:30 a.m., indicating that multiple shots had been fired in the 1800 block of South Ocean Drive.

Officers arrived at the Beach Club II Hallandale at 1830 South Ocean Drive, where they found a man and woman with apparent gunshot wounds at one of the condo’s units. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said the deceased are 34-year-old Pajtim Krasniqi and his wife, 27-year-old Sabrina Krasniqi.

“Through the investigation, it has been determined that Sabrina Krasniqi fatally shot her husband multiple times before taking her own life. The incident occurred within their shared residence,” police said in a news release Friday.

Police did not immediately say what may have led to the fatal gunfire.

Authorities could be seen walking in and out of the oceanfront building, and aerial images from Chopper 6 appeared to show a body, later covered by a tarp, on a balcony of one of the units.

What appeared to be bullet holes could be seen in a glass door, with pools of blood nearby.

Inside the unit were multiple evidence markers, a teddy bear, a box of roses with a heart design and a TV that was still on.

A recording provided by police of the gunfire that triggered the ShotSpotter alert captured five shots in quick succession, followed by a brief pause and then a sixth.

Broward County property records showed the unit appeared to be a rental on the 45th floor.

“We heard screaming and it was scary,” said Max Braendlin, who lives across the street. “I hear the shooting and then after a few minutes the police cars and it was a crowded scene.”

In a statement, the building management company FirstService Residential said: “We are aware of and greatly saddened by the tragic incident that transpired overnight in our building. We are fully cooperating with authorities in this ongoing investigation, which they believe to have been an isolated incident. The safety and security of our residents remain our top priority.” 

An employee who did not want to be identified told NBC6 that they saw police show up at around midnight.

A tenant who only provided his first name, Eric, said he was unsure what was going on.

“It makes me feel unsafe. Like, I don’t want to walk in, even if I’m allowed to honestly. I’ve never seen anything like this. I’ve been here since I was a little kid. It’s wild,” he said.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), visiting www.thehotline.org or texting LOVEIS to 22522.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or chat live at 988lifeline.org. You can also visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional support.

The herd, an art installation of 100 life-sized Indian elephants called “The Great Elephant Migration,” stand tall between 36 and 37 streets.

The project was built by Elephant Family USA, a nonprofit that “works to protect Asian wildlife in the most joyful and engaging way possible.”

The project’s website describes the artwork as “a collaboration between indigenous artisans, contemporary artists and cultural institutions, it will raise millions of dollars to power human-wildlife coexistence projects and protect migratory animals making spectacular journeys across land, rivers, skies and oceans.”

Each elephant handmade by a community of 200 indigenous artisans living on a nature reserve in southern India. The statues are crafted from Lantana camara, which is one of the world’s top invasive weeds.

“This fast growing, noxious shrub has a stranglehold on 300,000sq. kilometers of India’s Protected Areas. Lantana pushes animals out of their forest homes into urban areas leading to an increase in human-wildlife conflict. The use of lantana to create the elephants helps remove the weed from protected areas, leaving wildlife more space to roam,” the project’s website explains.

The exhibition is part of Miami Art Week, and officially opens on Dec. 2 and stays open through Dec. 8. But you can already go and see the elephants for yourself.

People lined up at BrandsMart USA, hoping to be among the first to get inside.

Shoppers were already in line before the doors opened at their Miami Gardens locations.

Charles Pierre and his wife are searching for good deals on phones. He thought the store would open early, so that’s when he showed up.

“They said they opened at 4 o’clock, I’ve been here since 10 this morning,” Pierre said. “I just came straight here, but when I get home, I’m going to eat.”

One woman told NBC6 she flew into Miami from the Bahamas just to shop.

Theresa Nicholas was one of hundreds of people who waited in line.

“I got a TV, very good price, printer, oh yeah, $24 can’t go wrong,” Nicholas said.

Black Friday remains the best time of the year for the deepest discounts, according to Adobe Analytics, which tracks prices online.

BrandsMart USA opens at 6:00 a.m. on Black Friday and closes at 11:00 p.m.

The shooting occurred around 3:30 p.m. in the 2800 block of Somerset Drive. When deputies arrived, they found an adult man with a gunshot wound. Paramedics later pronounced him deceased, BSO officials said.

Authorities have detained a person in connection with the incident. BSO’s Homicide and Crime Scene units are actively investigating.

NBC6 spoke with the family of the victim, who identified him as Hureleyon McLean, 72. According to the family, the incident began after a dispute over loud music.

McLean’s wife, Rose, told NBC6 that their downstairs neighbor came to their apartment to complain about the loud music. She said her husband went downstairs after the complaint, and it was there that he was shot.

“I walked up to him and asked, ‘Why’d you shoot my husband? Why?’” Rose McLean recalled.

Hureleyon McLean leaves behind two children and grandchildren.

BSO has not released any further details at this time.

This is a developing story, check back with NBC6 for updates.

The hit-and-run happened shortly before 4 a.m. Thursday in the area of 2100 Northwest 42nd Avenue, close to MIA.

Miami-Dade Police said the pedestrian was struck by a vehicle that fled the scene.

He was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center in critical condition.

Police haven’t released the man’s identity and said they don’t have a description of the vehicle.

Traffic homicide detectives are investigating the incident.

MIA officials said outbound traffic from the airport was impacted after the incident but lanes have reopened and normal operations have resumed.

The pair are named Kennedi Duke and Tanisha Cidel.

Duke went to Norland Middle School and had a talent for singing. At the age of 11, she went to Evolutionary Arts, Cidel’s non-profit, that looks to foster the love of arts in children.

And that’s when their bond began.

“She is just so ridiculously talented, and I wanted to mentor her beyond just my experience with her at Norland or Evolutionary Arts,” said Cidel.

So, Cidel applied to be a ‘Big’ with the Miami Chapter of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, to provide mentorship, connections, and support.

“And I was like maybe I can mentor her because she was a little at the time,” Cidel said.

And it happened.

“I have seen crazy growth from Kennedi. Just the fact that she is sitting here speaking, right? When I met her she was a little shy, she was a little shy, and not confident,” Cidel said.

But Duke said that’s not the case today.

“When I see you work with us and work with the kids, I see how much you love it, and I see how confident you are about it. And it makes me want to do the same thing and I see how you have achieved doing those goals, and so seeing your path I want to do the same thing. Achieving the goals, doing what I love, working hard for what I love,” she said.

It’s why, when an opportunity came about to audition for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, they took it.

And now are performing in this year’s parade.

“I get to have this opportunity to do what I love, and not all the time are you going to want to give it your all, or you are going to be tired sometimes, and when you are tired and giving it your all, it really is a pleasure it really is,” Cidel said. “I’m so proud of her.”

Cidel and Duke headed to New York on Sunday, and they will be rehearsing around the clock until the big performance. All they could say about their debut, is that they will be at the tail end of the parade, singing Christmas Carols with a celebrity.

Stephen Miller, who has been appointed deputy chief of staff for Trump’s second term, said Zuckerberg, like other business leaders, wants to support Trump’s economic plans. The tech CEO has been seeking to change his company’s perception on the right following a rocky relationship with Trump.

“Mark, obviously, he has his own interest, and he has his own company and he has his own agenda,” Miller said in an interview on Fox News about the meeting. “But he’s made clear that he wants to support the national renewal of America under Trump’s leadership.”

A spokesperson for Meta confirmed that Zuckerberg and Trump met on Wednesday, saying he was invited for dinner with the president-elect and other members of his team to talk about the incoming administration.

Trump was kicked off Facebook following the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. The company restored his account in early 2023.

During the 2024 campaign, Zuckerberg did not endorse a candidate for president.

Zuckerberg has since taken a more positive stance toward Trump. Earlier this year, he praised Trump’s response to his first assassination attempt, calling it “badass.” Zuckerberg also complained that senior Biden administration officials pressured Facebook to “censor” some COVID-19 content during the pandemic.

Still, Trump in recent months had continued to attack Zuckerberg publicly. In July, he posted a message on his own social network Truth Social threatening to send election fraudsters to prison in part by citing a nickname he used for the Meta CEO. “ZUCKERBUCKS, be careful!” Trump wrote.

The Thanksgiving eve visit also comes as tech mogul Elon Musk has become more influential in Trump’s Make America Great Again movement, contributing an estimated $200 million through his political action committee to help elect Trump. Musk is the billionaire owner of the X social network, a competitor to Meta.

Musk has spent considerable time at Mar-a-Lago since the election, and Trump selected him to lead an outside advisory panel known as the “Department of Government Efficiency ” to identify waste with Vivek Ramaswamy, a venture capitalist and former GOP presidential candidate.

Elian Gonzalez was five years old when fishermen found him clinging to an inner tube near Fort Lauderdale on Thanksgiving Day 25 years ago. His mother was found dead. His father was in Cuba. So Elian’s Miami relatives took him in. 

“All of a sudden, blew completely out of proportion,” said former Miami mayor Manny Diaz. 

Miami’s Cuban community rallied behind Elian’s Miami family, lobbying for the boy to stay here in the United States rather than be sent back to communist Cuba, but Elian’s dad wanted his son back.

“When you bring it up, there are still very strong feelings, from all sides of the story,” Diaz said.

Twenty-five years ago, he was one of the lawyers representing Elian’s Miami relatives for free. I asked him what comes to mind when he thinks of those days. 

“Sad, probably my most vivid recollection is having spent six months fighting not just the Cuban government but also our own government,” Diaz responded. 

He said the legal team’s goal was to get Elian his day in family court, like any other situation in which one parent has died and there’s a custody issue, so a judge could decide which situation was best for the child. That never happened. 

“Politics took over and really did severe damage to a family,” Diaz said. 

After months of demonstrations and news conferences, on April 22, 2000, heavily armed federal agents stormed the family’s Little Havana home. They took Elian to be reunited with his father in Cuba, and the community was outraged. Protests turned violent, with police in riot gear spraying tear gas to disperse crowds of angry people. 

Diaz says the irony is that Elian’s father wanted a visa to stay in the United States until Fidel Castro saw a propaganda opportunity. 

“Obviously it put them in a very tough position because once Castro put his arm around him, it’s like the Godfather when he puts his arm around you, it’s all over, right?” Diaz said, referring to Elian’s dad and his wife in Cuba. “There was never any doubt in my mind that the father really wanted to come here.”

According to Diaz, attorney general Janet Reno had agreed to connect the Cuba and Miami branches of the family and let them decide, without outside interference, what to do with Elian. But she also authorized the raid on the house, which happened the very next day. 

“They were still a family and we should’ve respected always what the family wanted, not what some politicians wanted in the United States or some dictator in Cuba,” Diaz said. 

The passion on the streets fueled a furious backlash against the Clinton administration. 

“It was clear to me that the reaction from the community was going to be one of payback on election day it certainly was,” Diaz said, adding that it led directly to Al Gore losing the presidential election that year. “Absolutely, I mean look, 500 vote difference.”

Back in Cuba, Elian Gonzalez grew up in the public spotlight and is now part of the Communist Party’s upper echelon.

That’s how Miami-Dade Commissioner Juan Carlos Bermudez described his conversation with Eric Trump over Doral’s incinerator problem. 

“He understood it,” said Bermudez, talking about Eric Trump, the son of President-elect Donald Trump. “I can tell you that he shares my opinion that this is not good.”

Bermudez told NBC6 this is not the first time he brings up the issue with members of the Trump family, but this time he asked Trump’s son to get personally involved. 

“I hope in the next couple days we’ll be getting…or the mayor will be getting a correspondence from the Trump organization,” Bermudez added. 

Bermudez represents the county’s district 12, which includes the City of Doral and Trump National Doral Resort, which Bermudez recounted is older than the incinerator. 

“We have two landfills that still have space that are owned by the county. We’re not talking about what we’re going to down with them. So we need a plan,” he said. 

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Bermudez partly blames the country for the mess as it was the county he said that zoned the area north of the facility from industrial to residential and added people in Doral did not expect the facility to be located there forever as it has been the case with similar facilities in nearby cities. 

Relocating the incinerator has been an ongoing issue for politicians, especially the county mayor, after the existing facility was destroyed in a fire in 2023.

Since then, four areas had been proposed as possible relocation sites for the facility, including the existing site, a site in Medley and two sites near the western Miami-Dade, Broward County border. 

Last week, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava recommended the facility remain at the current Doral site. 

Levine Cava explained her reason. 

“It’s just too expensive to go to another location. We are determined that we’re going to have a solid waste sustainable campus. It’s going to have every possible modern technology in addition to the waste to energy and we need a bigger space,” she said, adding had they moved the site to another location, the city of Doral would have had to pick up some of the costs, which she estimated to be in the rage of $400 million way beyond the city’s financial capacity. 

Levine Cava also touted the new technology, which she argues would make it safer for residents living in nearby neighborhoods. 

 “There are no health risks that are going to really compromise because it’s a new modern approach,” Levine Cava said. “It’s an extremely efficient filtration process that has been proven all around the world to be safer than just walking down the street.”

While the mayor’s office would not confirm, Bermudez told NBC6 Levine Cava told Eric Trump she would likely ask the county commission to defer the item. 

Whether they defer or not, the county commission is expected to vote Tuesday, Dec. 3.

Susan Lacy Russell, 69, was arrested Tuesday on a negligent manslaughter charge in the May 16 death of 28-year-old Ninoshka Michelle Almengor, an arrest report said.

According to the report, Russell called 911 that day “upset and out of breath.”

“I need the f—ing paramedics, I accidentally shot my roommate!” she said. “I was showing my roommate my gun, I thought it was unloaded because the magazine is out of it, and I shot the gun, and I shot my roommate…somewhere in the stomach region.”

Fire rescue responded and found Almengor shot once in the chest. She was taken to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Russell later told an investigator that she’d discovered her Taurus pistol inside a piece of luggage as she was packing for a trip.

She said Almengor asked to hold the firearm and Russell pulled it out of the luggage believing it wasn’t loaded, the report said.

Russell said as she handed the weapon to Almengor, she pulled the trigger and shot Almengor in the chest, the report said.

“One stupid mistake of not making sure the f—ing chamber was empty when you thought it was, that’s all, double check!” Russell told the investigator, according to the report.

Almengor’s death was later ruled a homicide by the Palm Beach Medical Examiner.

The investigator determined Russell “carelessly pulled the trigger” on the gun while it was pointed at Almengor and that it was “not an excusable homicide or murder,” the report said.

Russell was booked into jail and appeared before a judge Wednesday, who set her bond at $30,000.

For residents of the Florida capital, the answer better not be less than $561.69 if they want to travel out of Tallahassee Regional Airport (TLH).

A new study from QR Code Generator used 2024 data from the U.S. Department of Transportation to calculate the average fares at 150 largest airports across the country (based on the number of passengers) to find out which is most expensive, and the results may surprise you. 

What is the most expensive airport in the U.S.?

The no. 1 spot goes to none other than TLH.

“Tallahassee Regional Airport takes the top spot as the most expensive airport in the country to fly from, with an average fare of $561.69,” the study says. 

What are the most expensive airports in Florida?

According to the data, TLH is actually the only airport in the state to make the top 30 most expensive.

“Florida’s capital may be known for its southern charm, but residents and visitors face steep ticket prices for air travel,” the report states. “The average fare across the largest 150 airports is $383.80, therefore the average fare at Tallahassee is $177.89 more expensive.” 

What are the most expensive airports in the U.S.?

QR Code Generator has the 10 most expensive airports ranked by average fare as follows: 

1. Tallahassee Regional Airport in Florida – $561.69
2. Huntsville International Airport in Alabama – $543.66 
3. Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport in Tennessee – $528.25 
4. The Tri-Cities Airport in Washington – $523.54
5. Columbia Metropolitan Airport in South Carolina – $521.87 
6. Fairbanks International Airport in Arkansas – $515.51
7. Burlington International Airport in Vermont – $512.69
8. Madison’s Dane County Regional Airport in Wisconsin – $505.23
9. Billings Logan International Airport in Montana – $502.72
10. Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport in Alaska – $502.33 

What makes these airports so expensive, and what can I do about it?

QR Code Generator CEO Marc Porcar offered this insight and words of advice for travelers, especially ahead of the Thanksgiving rush.

“The 2024 airfare data reflects broader trends in rising travel costs, particularly for smaller airports or those in remote locations. While these airports may offer convenience or serve vital regional roles, travelers can expect to pay a premium for departing from them,” he wrote. “For those looking to save, considering alternate airports or planning well in advance could help mitigate these higher fares.” 

Of course, post offices, federal offices, courts and will be closed on Thursday.

But what about local shops and pharmacies?

Here’s a list of what will be open and closed on Thanksgiving.

Which stores are open on Thanksgiving?

• Bass Pro Shops: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Big Lots: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• CVS: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Dollar General: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
• Family Dollar: 9 a.m. – 9 p.m.
• Kroger: 7 a.m. – 3 p.m.
• Walgreens (24-hour stores will be open, all other stores will be closed)
• Whole Foods: Many stores will operate with modified hours.
• Sedano’s: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Bravo Supermarket: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Presidente Supermarket: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• 7-Eleven: open 24 hours
• Wawa: open 24 hours

Which stores are closed on Thanksgiving?

• ALDI
• Athleta
• Banana Republic
• Best Buy
• Costco
• Gap
• Home Depot
• HomeGoods
• JcPenney
• IKEA
• Kohl’s
• Lowe’s
• Macy’s
• Marshalls
• Michaels
• Nordstrom’s
• Navarro Pharmacy
• Old Navy
• PetSmart
• Publix
• Sam’s Club
• T.J. Maxx
• Target
• Trader Joe’s
• Ulta Beauty
• Walmart

Most malls close for Thanksgiving Day and gear up to welcome shoppers early for Black Friday. Here you can see the hours of operation for malls in South Florida.

Tanisha Monique Burgess, 37, of Deerfield Beach, was arrested by the Broward Sheriff’s Office Tuesday on two counts of aggravated battery, jail records showed.

The alleged incident happened around 1 a.m. on Sept. 22 on North Beach Road in Dania Beach.

According to an arrest report, a woman said she and a man were having sex on the passenger side of his car when a dark colored Nissan SUV that was going about 20 mph struck them and pinned them between the two vehicles.

After the collision, the driver, later identified as Burgess, got out of the SUV and got into a verbal altercation.

“B—-, you know who the f— I am; I am [redacted]’s baby mama,” she said before leaving in her SUV, according to the report.

The woman said she was unaware of any relationship between the man and Burgess, and said he never told her he was involved with anyone else, the report said.

Police later spoke with the man, who said Burgess, his child’s mother, did hit them with her SUV but he didn’t want to be involved or pursue charges, the report said.

The woman who was struck by the SUV suffered leg injuries and was treated at two different hospitals for a laceration that required staples.

Burgess was arrested and booked into jail. She later appeared in court where she received a $7,500 bond.

Yandy Sanpedro, 46, was arrested Monday on charges including sexual battery with a deadly weapon, false imprisonment, robbery, and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, records showed.

According to an arrest report, Sanpedro and the victim had been dating for about a month and a half before the alleged incident happened on Nov. 21.

That’s when the victim said Sanpedro became upset and confronted the victim, accusing her of being unfaithful after he discovered deleted text messages on her phone, the report said.

She said Sanpedro locked the bedroom door, brandished a knife and grabbed her cellphone from her hand, then searched through the phone and said for every text message, he would physically assault her, the report said.

Sanpedro then hit her face multiple times with an open hand, pointed the knife at her face and ripped off her undergarments before he sexually battered her and punched her in the face, the report said.

“The victim stated that she begged the defendant to cease his actions and the defendant refused,” the report said.

Sanpedro told the victim he would let her leave if she allowed him to carve his initials on her buttocks with the knife, the report said.

She said she complied in fear for her life, and he carved his initials into her buttocks.

Sanpedro continued to taunt and physically assault the victim for an extended period of time, and threatened to kill her family if she reported the incident to the police before he let her leave, the report said.

He was later arrested and booked into jail. Records showed he was already on probation from a separate assault and battery case.

At a bond court hearing Tuesday, Sanpedro was ordered held without bond and ordered to stay away from the victim.

The victim spoke briefly during the hearing, asking that Sanpedro be held without bond.

“I’m afraid for my life, he threatened to kill me, my mother and my siblings,” she said in Spanish.

Damian Valdez-Galloso, 49, is currently charged with second-degree murder, attempted tampering with physical evidence, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in last month’s fatal shooting of El Taiger.

The state previously announced its intent to accuse him of first-degree murder, and assigned him a new public defender on Wednesday. He was ordered held without bond in early November.

The suspect is charged with failure to register as a sex offender in a separate case.

The 37-year-old El Taiger, whose real name was Jose Manuel Carbajal Zaldivar, had been found unresponsive and suffering from a gunshot wound in the back of an SUV near Northwest 9th Avenue and 17th Street back on Oct. 3.

He was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital in extremely critical condition and died from his injuries days later, on Oct. 10.

According to an arrest affidavit, the singer went to Valdez-Galloso’s home early that morning. Valdez-Galloso opened the door and shot El Taiger in the head, police said, in a shocking crime caught on video obtained by NBC6.

Valdez-Galloso then grabbed El Taiger by his ankles, dragged him toward the singer’s SUV, and placed him inside, the affidavit said. Valdez-Galloso then allegedly cleaned up the scene, changed his clothes, and then left in the singer’s vehicle.

Prosecutors were initially unsure that they had sufficient evidence to prove first-degree murder.

In his first court appearance on Nov. 7, Judge Mindy Glazer asked: “Is that the correct charge? It looks like he shot him in the head and then dragged his body and put him in a vehicle and the victim subsequently died… Isn’t there intent to kill? Wouldn’t that be an a first-degree murder charge?”

“So judge, I don’t know if we have enough evidence yet to prove premeditation, which is necessary for a first,” the prosecutor replied at the time. “If we charge a first we need an indictment, which we don’t have yet.”

Records show Valdez-Galloso has a criminal past and is a registered sex offender after having sex with a minor. He also served prison time for false imprisonment and was arrested three years ago for grand theft in Broward.

Commissioner J.C. Bermudez, who represents District 12 which includes Doral, said he met with Eric Trump about the replacement incinerator, which could be built in the same city where his father owns a golf course at the Trump National Doral Resort.

“I had a productive meeting with Eric Trump, the Trump National Doral Resort team and other key stakeholders. I communicated to them the County administration’s misguided decision to construct a new Waste-to-Energy Facility (WTE) at the existing incinerator site in the City of Doral … I shared with Eric Trump my frustration and disappointment at the lack of consideration this decision has for the residents of the City of Doral and for its businesses, including the Trump National Doral Resort that is the jewel of our community,” he said in a statement.

The new waste management facility is needed after the existing one in Doral was destroyed by a fire last year.

County commissioners are expected to place their vote on which location they prefer to house the new county waste site on Dec. 3. Bermudez went on to say it was his understanding that Miami-Dade Mayor Levine Cava planned to request a delay in that vote.

Currently, the four proposed sites are located in: Medley, Okeechobee,  Opa Locka West Airport and Doral.

Levine Cava last week recommended that the new plant be built at the Doral site.

“It’s just too expensive to go to another location. We are determined that we’re going to have a solid waste sustainable campus. It’s going to have every possible modern technology in addition to the waste to energy and we need a bigger space, but we also know that the site I’d originally recommended became too expensive,” she told NBC6.

The mayor has not yet responded to a request for comment on the possible vote delay.

The Hallandale Beach Police Department said officers responded to a ShotSpotter alert at around 12:30 a.m., indicating that multiple shots had been fired in the 1800 block of South Ocean Drive.

Officers arrived at the Beach Club II Hallandale at 1830 South Ocean Drive, where they found a man and woman with apparent gunshot wounds at one of the condo’s units. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said the victims have been identified, but did not release their names because their families have not yet been notified.

Authorities could be seen walking in and out of the oceanfront building, and aerial images from Chopper 6 appeared to show a body, later covered by a tarp, on a balcony of one of the units.

What appeared to be bullet holes could be seen in a glass door, with pools of blood nearby.

Inside the unit were multiple evidence markers, a teddy bear, a box of roses with a heart design and a TV that was still on.

A recording provided by police of the gunfire that triggered the ShotSpotter alert captured five shots in quick succession, followed by a brief pause and then a sixth.

Police are trying to determine what led to the shooting and whether one of the people may have shot the other before turning the gun on themselves.

“The incident has been determined to be isolated and remains under active investigation. At this time, there is no impact to traffic or public safety in the surrounding area,” police said.

Broward County property records showed the unit appears to be a rental on the 45th floor.

“We heard screaming and it was scary,” said Max Braendlin, who lives across the street. “I hear the shooting and then after a few minutes the police cars and it was a crowded scene.”

In a statement, the building management company FirstService Residential said: “We are aware of and greatly saddened by the tragic incident that transpired overnight in our building. We are fully cooperating with authorities in this ongoing investigation, which they believe to have been an isolated incident. The safety and security of our residents remain our top priority.” 

An employee who did not want to be identified told NBC6 that they saw police show up at around midnight.

A tenant who only provided his first name, Eric, said he was unsure what was going on.

“It makes me feel unsafe. Like, I don’t want to walk in, even if I’m allowed to honestly. I’ve never seen anything like this. I’ve been here since I was a little kid. It’s wild,” he said.

“Such a good person, he was exciting to be with, always in a good mood, never depressed, wake up happy,” Lauro said.

The two lived in Philadelphia but later moved to South Florida. Six months of friendship turned into 17 years of love.

“It’s a shock, he’s always there, Brian’s my right arm,” Lauro said.

Palm Beach Gardens Police say the 65-year-old Hiltebeitel was at the Sandhill Crane Golf Club Monday when Junior Boucher repeatedly struck Hiltebeitel with his own golf clubs.

The police report said a witness told officers at one point, the two ended up in a pond, and the suspect jumped on top of the victim and appeared to be choking him. The witness told officers Hiltebeitel yelled “he’s trying to kill me” several times. An hour before the attack, the suspect’s family reported him missing.

The attack appeared to be a random act of violence, the Palm Beach Gardens Police Chief said.

Police say Boucher has an extensive criminal history, including drug charges, domestic battery and battery on an officer. He was convicted in 2023 and served almost a year in jail.

Lauro says the best way to describe how she’s feeling is numb.

“I don’t know how I’m doing, I’m taking it moment by moment that’s the plan,” Lauro said.

Boucher is charged with first-degree murder.

Officials said the boy was attempting to cross the street at Southwest 112th Avenue near 232nd Street in Princeton when he was struck by an oncoming Audi.

The boy, who hasn’t been identified, died at the scene, FHP said.

Video from the scene showed the black Audi with damage to its front driver’s side.

Southwest 112th Avenue was closed for the investigation.

No other information was immediately known.

Check back with NBC6 for updates.

“They were human beings; they mattered,” said Kimberly Wald, an attorney at Haggard Law Firm, who is filing lawsuits on behalf of the families, who are from Hialeah and Plant City respectively.

“One death alone at a private prison is unthinkable, unimaginable,” Wald added.

Antron Griffin, who was serving time for aggravated assault at the South Bay Correctional Facility, was killed on March 11, 2024.

“Our family will not tolerate this, and will not give up until we get justice,” said Andrea Griffin, Antron’s sister, who was accompanied by several family members.

The family told NBC6, Griffin, 31, was stabbed to death.

“My brother loved his nieces and nephews, unfortunately his life got cut shot where he didn’t have a chance to have kids on his own,” Antron’s sister added, while wiping tears from her face.

Four months later, the same thing happened to Allec Garcia.

“He was sentenced to serve his sentence not to lose his life,” said Alfredo Garcia, Allec’s brother.

According to the family, Garcia, 34, was stabbed three times inside the South Bay Correctional Facility while serving his sentence for felony battery.

Allec’s mother, Clara Garcia, talked to her son July 3 – the day he was killed. But it would be days before she found out her son had been murdered.

“I had no knowledge that my son had been dead for three days and up till today that’s how it’s been,” Clara Garcia said.

Both families remain in the dark about the circumstances surrounding the deaths of their loved ones.

All they know is that these two men we murdered, likely died from stab wounds and that both men had been threatened.

But months later, neither the Griffin nor the Garcia families have received any answers from the GEO Group or from law enforcement.

“Private prisons like every prison owe a duty to the people that they are taking care of, according to their own contracts, to keep them safe, to make sure that they don’t get killed…basic human rights,” Wald said.

The South Bay Correctional Facility, which is located near Belle Glade, a town south of the Lake Okeechobee, is operated by the GEO Group. They’re one of the nation’s largest private prison contractors operating about 50 facilities across the country, four of them are located in Florida.

NBC6 requested an on-camera interview with GEO Group officials, but a spokesperson sent a statement in which the company insisted they’re committed to the safety, security, and well-being of those entrusted in their care.

“The facts and circumstances surrounding these two incidents are currently under investigation. Geo is fully cooperating with the appropriate law enforcement officials who are reviewing these cases,” a company spokesperson said.

When asked who the ‘appropriate law enforcement officials’ were, the spokesperson did not respond.

“This is not just about our brother, this is about justice, about humanity, and about making sure that every person no matter their past is treated with dignity and safety while in custody,” Alfredo Garcia said.

The complaint accused the prison’s private operator of negligence and cites that between 2009 and 2024, at least a dozen inmates have died under the facility’s care.

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The parade begins on Manhattan’s Upper West Side and ends at Macy’s Herald Square flagship store on 34th Street, which serves as a stage and backdrop for performances.

Here’s key things to know about the parade and how to watch it.

What time does the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade start?

For the second year in a row, Thursday’s parade starts at 8:30 a.m., in all time zones.

What channel is the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade on?

It will be on NBC, available with an antenna or through cable and satellite providers.

How to stream the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade

For cord cutters, the parade is being simulcast on Peacock and an encore telecast begins at 2 p.m. ET/PT. A Spanish language simulcast will also be on Telemundo.

What’s the weather for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade?

It may be a wet day — forecasts call for rain with temperatures in the upper-40s with clouds and winds around 10 mph. New York City law prohibits Macy’s from flying the full-size balloons if sustained winds exceed 23 mph or wind gusts are over 35 mph.

Who is performing at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade?

This year is starrier than ever. Grammy-, Oscar-, Emmy- and Tony-winner Jennifer Hudson will perform, as will global pop icon and Grammy-winner Kylie Minogue and Tony-, Grammy-, and Emmy winner Billy Porter.

Anyone else?

Reality TV’s Ariana Madix, Broadway belter Idina Menzel, hip-hop’s T-Pain, members of the WNBA champions New York Liberty and country duo Dan + Shay. Other music performers include The War and Treaty, Lea Salonga, Loud Luxury, The Temptations, Chlöe, Jimmy Fallon & The Roots and Coco Jones. It will kick off with “Glow” actor Alison Brie cutting the ribbon.

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Who is hosting the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade?

For those watching on TV or computers, the trio of hosting stalwarts — Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Al Roker from “TODAY.” But this year might be more emotional since it could be Kotb’s last — her last official day at “TODAY” will be Jan. 10.

What are the new balloons at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade?

There will be six new featured character balloons, including Minnie Mouse, “Extraordinary Noorah” with The Elf on the Shelf, Gabby from “Gabby’s Dollhouse,” Goku from ”Dragon Ball,” Marshall from “Paw Patrol” and a new “Spider-Man.”

What about new floats?

New floats include ones from brands like Disney Cruise Line, Haribo, “Wednesday” from Netflix,” Universal Orlando Resorts and “The Grannies Car” from BBC Studios’ “Bluey.” Nickelodeon and Paramount’s “Dora the Explorer” will have both a float and a balloon. One new float will spotlight the Rao’s food brand, featuring a knight and a dragon in battle made with actual pasta elements. Another will celebrate The Bronx Zoo’s 125th anniversary with representations of a tiger, a giraffe, a zebra and a gorilla.

Is your state represented by any of the bands?

The marching bands will hail from Massachusetts, Indiana, Tennessee, Texas, Arkansas, South Dakota, Georgia, South Carolina, West Virginia and, naturally, New York.

The kayakers called for help at around 6:30 p.m., when they were unable to find their exit point as night fell, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said.

Missing Kayakers Rescued: This successful rescue demonstrates the importance of teamwork and the specialized skills our units bring to every situation. We are proud of our deputies and partners who ensured these individuals returned home safely. pic.twitter.com/Vg2TUFZDa2

— Chad Chronister (@ChadChronister) November 26, 2024

NBC affiliate WFLA reported that the HCSO Aviation Section located all three individuals and the HCSO Marine Unit with the help of Hillsborough County Fire Rescue, and park rangers got the kayakers back to safety.

Impressive video shows how the kayakers are spotted through dense vegetation using specialized cameras. The aviation team then provides instructions to agents searching for the kayakers on the ground.

“Let them know we found them we’re just gonna get a boat out to them,” one person says. “You guys that are out walking on the trial there, you’re going to come to a point where you can’t go any further ’cause of the river.”

“This successful rescue demonstrates the importance of teamwork and the specialized skills our units bring to every situation,” said Sheriff Chad Chronister in a post on X. “We are proud of our deputies and partners who ensured these individuals returned home safely.”