It’s Friday, February 26th – and NBC 6 has the top stories for the day.
No. 1 - Publix will begin administering the COVID-19 vaccine at 136 pharmacies in Miami-Dade and Broward counties beginning March 1.
People 65 and over are eligible for a vaccine and can schedule an appointment starting at 7 a.m. Friday, Feb. 26, through the online reservation system at publix.com/covid-vaccine/florida. Slots filled up shortly after the online portal opened Friday. The supermarket company announced vaccination appointments will be available at all 730 pharmacies in the state. The online reservation system typically opens every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning, but appointments may not be available in every county.
No. 2 - A woman was arrested after allegedly she drove onto a Miami Beach sidewalk, crashed into a food market, and nearly hit a homeless woman before she casually left the scene in a getaway car.
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A witness shot video of the aftermath of the crash, which happened Tuesday at Fernandez Food Market on Washington Avenue and 14th Street. Brian Prahl, the witness, is heard telling the woman, who was seen casually grabbing her belongings just after the crash. The woman was later identified as 27-year-old Sharon Martinez-Lazaro, of Los Angeles. Martinez-Lazaro did flee the scene, according to an arrest affidavit from Miami Beach police. She got in the back seat of a Chrysler, and the driver allegedly told her to get in. To see the wild video, click here for the story from NBC 6 reporter Jamie Guirola you will see Only on 6.
No. 3 - A Fort Lauderdale Police officer who shot a woman with a rubber bullet during last year's protest held in the wake of the George Floyd killing has been cleared of wrongdoing following an internal affairs investigation.
Det. Eliezer Ramos has been exonerated in the May 31, 2020 incident involving LaToya Ratlieff, Interim Police Chief Patrick Lynn announced at a news conference Thursday. Witnesses said the peaceful gathering took an angry turn and protesters responded by throwing bottles. Officers began firing rubber bullets, which police refer to as foam projectiles, and Ratlieff was badly injured when she was hit in the eye by one. Lynn offered an apology to Ratlieff on behalf of the department.
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No. 4 - The City of Miami unanimously voted Thursday to approve a resolution that waives fees for sidewalk cafe permits and provides cash credit to restaurants to cover next year's fees.
The spokesperson noted that the city collected $106,585 in sidewalk permit fees in 2020, since outdoor dining has increased significantly throughout the pandemic. Miami City Commissioner Ken Russell, whose district covers Brickell, Midtown and Coconut Grove, sponsored the bill. It was approved unanimously on January 28, and after a second reading by the commission Thursday, the resolution passed again with everyone's vote.
No. 5 - After testing positive for the coronavirus, 39-year old Bretlyyn Wolff didn't feel any symptoms until one morning in December when her husband found her unconscious.
Wolff, a mother and K through 8th grade teacher, was in a coma for three weeks, though she says she remembers none of it. The healthcare workers who treated her at Jackson South Medical Center say she suffered cardiac arrest as a result of COVID-19, and the lack of oxygen to her brain caused brain damage. Jackson South's Dr. Andrew Pastewski said that the brain damage wasn't significant, and medical workers had been able to limit further damage. To hear what she said when finally leaving the hospital, click here for the story from NBC 6 reporter Nathalia Ortiz.
No. 6 – Weatherwise, the work week ends on a warm note for South Florida with breezy and rain free conditions rolling in Friday and into the weekend. Keep your NBC 6 app handy for push alerts on any severe weather as well as First Alert Doppler 6000.
