News You Should Know

6 Things to Know: Dwindling Vaccine Numbers Cause Concern, More Subdued MLK Day Rideout on Local Streets

It’s Tuesday, January 19th - and NBC 6 has the top stories for the day

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It’s Tuesday, January 19th - and NBC 6 has the top stories for the day.

No. 1 - A memorial of balloons, candles and flowers now marks where a six-year-old girl was shot and killed this weekend as she left a friend’s birthday party in Miami.

Paramedics rushed Chassidy Saunders to Ryder Trauma Center, where she died. Two adults were also injured and are recovering at the hospital. Miami Police say the shooting happened around 7 p.m. Saturday, but so far no arrests have been made. Neighbors say it was a chaotic scene with children and their families were leaving a two-year-old’s birthday party when the shooting started. They told NBC 6 they heard as many as 20 gunshots, adding that it sounded like more than one gun was used. Anyone with information that can help them make an arrest call is asked to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS (8477).

No. 2 - Riders took to the streets of South Florida for the annual "rideout" on Martin Luther King Jr. Day that was much more subdued compared to years past.

The annual "Wheels Up, Guns Down" event is meant to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King's legacy and his message of nonviolence but over the years has turned into a celebration of lawlessness as hundreds of riders on dirt bikes and ATVs from across the country descend upon South Florida and swarm the roadways. Dozens of law enforcement agencies in South Florida said they were on high alert to patrol the streets as they anticipated chaos and traffic nightmares. In a weekend traffic initiative, Miami-Dade police say they impounded at least six ATVs, four motor and dirt bikes, recovered four guns, and made at least seven felony arrests, four misdemeanor arrests and 21 moving citations between Friday until Monday night.

No. 3 - Officers from several different agencies across South Florida are heading to the nation's capital to help police and secure the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.

Monday, 50 officers from the Miami Beach Police Department left while on Sunday morning, 45 officers from Miami-Dade County packed up to travel to Washington D.C. Twenty-seven officers from the Coral Gables Police Department were also headed to D.C. Thousands of police and national guard members will be posted throughout the nation’s capital, weeks after a mob encouraged by outgoing President Donald Trump attacked the United States Capitol while lawmakers were in an early January session. This will be the fourth inauguration Miami-Dade County’s “Rapid Deployment Force” has participated in. The special unit is trained to handle large crowds and unruly protests. 

No. 4 - Florida is not sending Miami-Dade County any doses this week for first-time vaccinations, so — unless the state‘s plans change — the county will no longer be offering shots at Tropical Park and Zoo Miami for the rest of the week.

The cuts do not affect state-run sites at Hard Rock Stadium or one expected to open Tuesday at Marlins Park. The state also cut Jackson Health System’s allotment by about half this week, to 8,000 doses. A spokesman for the state health department has not responded to a question about why Gov. Ron DeSantis cut off supply to county-run sites in the state’s hardest hit county, while the state continues to get about a quarter million doses a week for the last month. Over the last four weeks, the Trump administration has allotted Florida an average of 266,000 doses each week, the same amount it was given for first-time vaccinations this week.

No. 5 - Looking to buy an annual pass at Walt Disney World? You're out of luck unless you're a current passholder.

The Florida theme park said it will renew passes for current owners, but won’t sell new ones. In Florida, “the Most Magical Place on Earth” reopened in July after nearly four months with new rules in place to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 including mandatory masks and social distancing. Disney officials would not say how many people hold these passes or how much the move will cost the company, adding it would begin issuing pro-rated refunds to eligible passholders.

No. 6 - Weatherwise, a cooler Tuesday morning across South Florida gives way to a warmer afternoon with clearer skies keeping away any rain chances. Keep your NBC 6 app handy for push alerts on any severe weather as well as First Alert Doppler 6000.

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