It’s Friday, December 11th - and NBC 6 has the top stories for the day.
No. 1 - Miami city commissioners unanimously passed a resolution Thursday to enforce Miami-Dade County’s midnight curfew again.
Starting this weekend, the city will enforce, once again, the 12 a.m. to 6 a.m. curfew until further notice. Violators -- individuals and businesses -- will be subject to fines and other enforcement actions, the city said in a statement. Commissioners had previously decided back in October to stop enforcing the county's curfew. The resolution was introduced by Commissioner Joe Carollo, who said that Jackson Health’s CEO personally reached out to him.
No. 2 - Bodycam video released by a Florida law enforcement agency on Thursday shows that officers tried multiple times to contact a former Department of Health employee who the state says sent an unauthorized message about COVID-19 data.
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The more than 20 minutes of video released by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement shows officers knocking on Rebekah Jones' door multiple times and attempting to call her before serving a search warrant Monday morning. Jones, who has not been charged with any crime for the message, said Thursday that she, her husband and two children were asleep when the officers arrived. Jones helped create the state's dashboard of coronavirus data. She was fired from her post in May after she raised questions about the data.
No. 3 - A U.S. government advisory panel endorsed widespread use of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine Thursday, putting the country just one step away from launching an epic vaccination campaign against the outbreak that has killed close to 300,000 Americans.
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Shots could begin within days, depending on how quickly the Food and Drug Administration signs off, as expected, on the expert committee’s recommendation. In a 17-4 vote with one abstention, the government advisers concluded that the vaccine from Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech appears safe and effective for emergency use in adults and teenagers 16 and older. That endorsement came despite questions about allergic reactions in two people who received the vaccine earlier this week when Britain became the first country to begin dispensing the Pfizer-BioNTech shot.
No. 4 - The new Covid-19 vaccines were developed in record time, a remarkable achievement of collaboration by the world’s scientific community. But pediatricians are already seeing opposition to the vaccines among parents.
Social media is rife with conspiracy theories about the vaccines, which we will not amplify here by repeating them. Last week, a Miami-Dade County megachurch pastor told his congregants not to take the vaccine because they should just rely on God to protect them instead. School districts see the vaccines as a way to finally get schools back to normal. However, there is a legitimate reason for concern as well. To hear what those on both side of the issue are saying, click here for the story from NBC 6 reporter Ari Odzer.
No. 5 - Living on the street was far from the new start Duan Elijah X was after when he decided to move away from Pittsburgh at the beginning of the year.
After doing some time in prison on drug charges, he had a fresh start in Miami with a restaurant job, offering the possibility of building a new life. But the COVID-19 pandemic interfered, leaving him jobless, then homeless. Homelessness has always been a complicated issue, but the financial toll of the pandemic has brought on new layers. Public health concerns at this time are hard to manage as the problem keeps growing. Those who are homeless are well aware of the threat COVID-19 presents, but they’re out there because they feel like it's their only option. NBC 6 reporter Stephanie Bertini spoke with those dealing with homelessness and those fighting for those in need - click here for her story you will see Only on 6.
No. 6 - Weatherwise, South Florida is waking up to much warmer temperatures to end the work week with rain chances slightly increasing in time for your weekend. Keep your NBC 6 app handy for push alerts on any severe weather as well as First Alert Doppler 6000.
