It’s Wednesday, January 13th - and NBC 6 has the top stories for the day.
No. 1 - As spring break nears and college students ready their plans to descend on Miami Beach, city officials are taking action to prevent a possible “super spreader” event in South Florida.
Miami Beach is taking a different approach to spring break as coronavirus cases continue to increase in South Florida: organized events. The city is tentatively teaming up with a production company to host gatherings such as Thursday Flicks, Friday Concerts and Saturday Grooves. City commissioners are scheduled to vote Wednesday whether to approve the plan on scheduled events with COVID restrictions in place for spring breakers.
No. 2 - A South Florida pediatrician is now behind bars and facing several child pornography charges, according to Broward Sheriff's Office.
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Deputies arrested Michael Mizrachy, 49, on Tuesday after the department’s Internet Crimes Against Children unit received a tip concerning Mizrachy last June. Detectives said they found a video in Mizrachy’s possession that appeared to show a sexual encounter between an adult male and a child between the ages of eight and 10 years old, matching what was described in the tip. Authorities also found several photos that appeared to be show young children wearing bathing suits, underwear or shorts, according to an incident report. The children appear to be unaware that they were being photographed.
No. 3 - The U.S. will soon require airline passengers to prove they recently tested negative for COVID-19 before flying to the country, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday.
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The measure, which aims to curb the spread of the disease, comes as new infections have hit records. Starting Jan. 26, arriving travelers will have to test negative for COVID-19 within three days of their flight to the U.S., the CDC said. The agency last month started requiring negative COVID tests for travelers flying from the U.K., as a more contagious strain of the virus was detected there, though it has since been found around the U.S.
No. 4 - President Donald Trump is on the verge of being impeached for a second time, with the House planning an unprecedented vote one week after he encouraged a mob of loyalists to “fight like hell” against election results, leading to a deadly siege at the U.S. Capitol.
While the first impeachment of Trump last year brought no Republican votes in the House, a small but significant number of leaders and other lawmakers are breaking with the party to join Democrats on Wednesday, unwilling to put American decency and democracy at further risk, even with days remaining in the president's term. Trump, who would become the only U.S. president twice impeached, faces a single charge of “incitement of insurrection.” At least five Republican lawmakers, including third-ranking House GOP leader Liz Cheney of Wyoming, were unswayed by the president's logic. The Republicans announced they would vote to impeach Trump, cleaving the Republican leadership, and the party itself.
No. 5 - The FBI and police departments in South Florida are joining forces to head off trouble here at home, in Tallahassee, and in the nation’s capital in the coming days.
Law enforcement teams worry social media messages can fuel another riot in Washington, D.C., and the FBI is putting out warnings about potential trouble.
Law enforcement experts tell NBC 6 that as the moments go by, they are seeing more evidence that shows the riot at the Capitol was emboldened by some with military and police backgrounds who were well prepared. To hear how they plan on combating any potential problems, click here for the story from NBC 6 reporter Willard Shepard.
No. 6 - Weatherwise, cloudy skies will be here for much of Wednesday across South Florida, keeping rain chances in the forecast for later in the day. Keep your NBC 6 app handy for push alerts on any severe weather as well as First Alert Doppler 6000.
