It’s Tuesday, December 24th – and NBC 6 has the top stories you need to know for the day.
No. 1 – Weather wise, after drying out from Monday, South Florida looks to have a near perfect - and much cooler - Christmas Eve with some areas waking up in the 50s. Keep your NBC 6 app handy for push alerts on any severe weather as well as First Alert Doppler 6000.
No. 2 - From airports to roadways and malls to the nearest convenience store, Christmas Eve is set to bring out stress for those looking to get that perfect gift and to get to their destination on time.
Officials estimate a record 6.9 million travelers will be flying to their location on Tuesday – and if you’re looking for that last minute gift to purchase, most major malls in Miami-Dade and Broward will be opening during normal hours but major malls such as Dolphin Mall, Sawgrass Mills and Dadeland Mall plan on closing by 6 p.m.
No. 3 - A South Florida man was arrested Monday for allegedly trying to kill and choke a dog in Miami Beach, an arrest report said.
Louis Sepulveda, 51, is accused of punching the black Labrador and using a leash to choke the animal, the report said. Sepulveda is also accused of smashing the dog’s head and neck with the tail gate of a white Dodge Ram pickup.
No. 4 - A 33-year-old American soldier who was killed in combat Monday in Afghanistan has been identified, the U.S. military said.
Local
In a statement Monday night, the Pentagon identified the casualty as Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Goble of Washington Township, New Jersey. Goble's unit was engaged in combat operations in Kunduz Province, Afghanistan, when he suffered fatal injuries, the Pentagon said.
No. 5 – Residents in a Fort Lauderdale neighborhood has been plagued with a toxic and smelly odor for almost two weeks due to three back-to-back sewer main breaks.
Sewage flowed for nine days in the Rio Vista neighborhood during the first break earlier this month. Two days after a repair, the 54-inch pipe ruptured in another spot a block away. The break sent sludge into the Tarpon River, streets and a neighborhood park. A third break occurred in the same sewer line the next day.
No. 6 - All eyes are on the sky as children worldwide track Santa’s Christmas Eve journey.
NORAD’s Santa tracker is back for its 64th year and now you can use gadgets like Alexa, OnStar, and even 3-D apps to follow along. For more on this, including the history of tracking jolly old Saint Nick, click here.
