It’s Tuesday, February 23rd - and NBC 6 has the top stories for the day.
No. 1 – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis may act soon to get COVID-19 vaccine shots into the arms of law enforcement officers, sources told NBC 6.
On Friday, Miami-Dade announced that the federal government will be providing 2,000 vaccines a day at Miami-Dade College North and another 1,000 with a mobile van. Sources told NBC 6 DeSantis may be issuing an executive order allowing some of the additional shots to go to police. As of Monday, of the 565 Miami-Dade officers that have tested positive for COVID-19, 37 of them still are not back at work.
No. 2 - Two teens were arrested in connection with a stolen car chase through Miami Beach over the weekend, officials said.
Get South Florida local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC South Florida newsletters.
Miami Beach Police officials said officers were conducting traffic enforcement at the intersection of South Point Drive and Alton Road around 2:30 p.m. Sunday when a black Cadillac ran a stop sign and refused to stop. Police said that the car had been stolen, as well as the license plate, and a loaded firearm with an extended 24-round magazine was found in the driver's seat. Officers also said two other males were in the car at some point during the pursuit and are being sought. Isariel Delestre, 18, surrendered to police Monday night. Delestre may have been the original driver of the stolen Cadillac.
No. 3 - A South Florida anesthesiologist has been arrested and charged with a hate crime for assaulting a Hispanic man outside a supermarket.
Dr. Jennifer Susan Wright, 58, of Miami had become enraged after the man asked her in Spanish to keep her distance due to COVID-19 guidelines while waiting in line at a supermarket in Hialeah. The arrest report said Wright also proceeded “to stab the victim’s vehicle with her keys while saying he needed to go back to his country” and punched and kicked the man. Officials said the attack took place Jan. 20, when President Joe Biden took office. Mount Sinai Medical Center released a statement saying their "top priority is the safety of our patients, visitors and employees," adding that Wright is "no longer responsible for patient care pending the completion of a full investigation."
Local
No. 4 - A popular Miami Beach hotel apologized after creating a luncheon menu for Black History Month with some food options that some considered tone-deaf and racist.
Last week, employees at W South Beach got a luncheon flier that included fried chicken and watermelon salad as some of the items. The options offended some of the workers, who asked the NAACP for help out of fear of losing their jobs. Rick Ueno, general manager of the W South Beach, told NBC 6 that the menu will change, adding “the hotel apologizes for a luncheon flyer that was shared with employees. We deeply regret any offense it caused. We believe that diversity, equity and inclusion is fundamental to how we do business.”
No. 5 - Florida is among the top states when it comes to the number of small business loans handed out from the federal government this year.
Many business owners are making the decision to apply for loans through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) for a second time. The forgivable loan program opened back up in mid-January and many small business owners decided to dip into the PPP pot once again. To hear why one small business owner said it was the only thing she could do, click here for the story from NBC 6 consumer investigator Sasha Jones.
No. 6 - Weatherwise, rain chances and temperatures pick up Tuesday across South Florida with the latest front making its arrival in the area. Keep your NBC 6 app handy for push alerts on any severe weather as well as First Alert Doppler 6000.
