It’s Wednesday, August 26th - and NBC 6 has the top stories for your day.
No. 1 - After months of restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic, Miami-Dade will begin allowing indoor dining at county restaurants.
Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez made the announcement during a virtual news conference Tuesday afternoon. Gimenez said indoor dining would be allowed beginning Monday at 50% capacity with up to six people allowed at tables indoors and outside. Restaurants will be advised to keep windows and doors open and air conditioning on at all times to keep air circulating, Gimenez said. Customers will have to keep masks on until they receive their water, he added.
No. 2 - Thousands of people were ordered to evacuate the Texas and Louisiana coasts Tuesday as Laura strengthened into a Category 2 hurricane early Wednesday morning.
More than 385,000 residents were told to flee the Texas cities of Beaumont, Galveston, Port Arthur and Baytown, and still more were ordered to evacuate low-lying southwestern Louisiana, where forecasters said more than 11 feet of storm surge topped by waves could submerge entire towns. Forecasters said ocean water could push onto land along a more than 450-mile-long stretch of coast from Texas to Mississippi, and hurricane warnings will be issued later as the storm nears.
No. 3 - The Republican National Convention continued on Tuesday, featuring a slate of speakers including three members of the president's family and the first appearance by a current secretary of state at a political convention since WWII.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo addressed the convention in a pretaped address recorded on Monday in Jerusalem amid his taxpayer-funded trip to the region. Speaking before a live audience in the White House Rose Garden, First Lady Melania Trump said that the Trump administration would not stop fighting until there was an effective vaccine and treatment. Night three Wednesday includes a speech by Vice President Mike Pence with NBC News providing live coverage starting at 10 PM.
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No. 4 - Police are looking for an Amazon delivery driver they say struck a resident at a Miami Beach condominium during an argument about wearing a face mask.
According to an incident report, in early August, 73-year-old Ray Breslin saw an Amazon employee entering the lobby of the Mantell Plaza without a mask. Breslin, who owns seven units in the building, approached the employee at the door and advised him he couldn't enter without one. From there the situation escalated, as Breslin said the Amazon driver placed his foot in the doorway to prevent it from being closed. To see what took place next, click here for the story from NBC 6 reporter Stephanie Bertini.
No. 5 - A group of nurses who came to South Florida to help with coronavirus patients say they're being left in the lurch when they were told that not only were they no longer needed, but won't be paid.
Registered nurse Jolie Hoffman told NBC 6 Tuesday that she left behind her family in a Detroit suburb after being recruited by a placement service to provide nursing care to those with COVID-19 in South Florida. On Tuesday, the nurses said they were told to head home without a pay day. Click here for the story from NBC 6 investigator Willard Shepard.
No. 6 - Weatherwise, South Florida will feel a lot drier Wednesday across the area, but the wet weather could make a return by the weekend. Keep your NBC 6 app handy for push alerts on any severe weather as well as First Alert Doppler 6000.
