It’s Thursday, August 27th - and NBC 6 has the top stories for the day.
No. 1 - Hurricane Laura made landfall in southwestern Louisiana as a ferocious Category 4 monster with 150 mph winds early Thursday, swamping a low-lying coast with ocean water that forecasters said could be 20 feet deep and unsurvivable.
The National Hurricane Center said the storm, which intensified rapidly Wednesday before plowing into land, came ashore at 1 a.m. CDT near Cameron, a 400-person community about 30 miles east of the Texas border. Forecasters said even stronger winds were possible that could rip apart buildings, level trees and toss vehicles like toys.
No. 2 - A puppy that was stolen from a Pembroke Pines pet shop has died, and a South Florida man was charged for taking the animal from the store.
Vahid McLaughlin, 47, was charged with grand theft and resisting recovery of stolen property after police say he was caught on Petland's surveillance cameras Monday taking the 8-week-old Pomapoo. He provided the store with his ID and filled out financing forms, the arrest report said. Employees said he suddenly become possessive over the Pomapoo and would not give it back to the employees.
No. 3 - Inter Miami's game with Atlanta United was postponed Wednesday night as Major League Soccer players joined a boycott in a collective statement against racial injustice.
Players from six NBA teams decided not to play postseason games in a boycott that quickly reverberated across other professional leagues. Some games in Major League Baseball and three WNBA contests were called off as players across four leagues decided the best way to use their platform and demand change was to literally step off the playing surface.
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No. 4 - The Republican National Convention continued on Wednesday, featuring a slate of speakers including Vice President Mike Pence, many of whom neglected to mention the immediate crises of Hurricane Laura, the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, California wildfires and the unrest in the wake of the police killings of Black men and women in cities across the country.
The four day event will conclude Thursday with the final speech coming from the party’s nominee for a second term in office, President Donald Trump. NBC News will provide complete coverage of the President’s speech and more starting at 10 p.m.
No. 5 - A new test can determine if the virus that causes COVID-19 is lingering on surfaces.
NBC 6 Responds and Telemundo 51 Responde teamed up to test some frequently-touched surfaces like door handles, grocery carts, and ATM keypads. It’s a test our colleagues at the TODAY Show used in July when they tested surfaces in five different states, including Florida. Earlier this month, NBC 6 Responds and Telemundo 51 Responde took the test a step further. For what they found, click here for a complete report from consumer investigators Sasha Jones and Myriam Masihy.
No. 6 - Weatherwise, rain chances pick up slightly Thursday across South Florida before would could be a wetter end of August. Keep your NBC 6 app handy for push alerts on any severe weather as well as First Alert Doppler 6000.
