It’s Tuesday, February 16th - and NBC 6 has the top stories for the day.
No. 1 - Family and friends are seeking answers after a young woman from Hollywood disappeared last week while out on a walk.
Noemi Bolivar was last seen on Feb. 11 when the 21-year-old left her home for a walk at Anne Kolb Nature Center, friends said. Her family has filed a missing persons report and Hollywood Police officials have confirmed they're working on the case. Family members said Bolivar looks very young and they described her as sweet but naive, and said they're worried she could have been a victim of human trafficking. Anyone with information about her disappearance is asked to call Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS.
No. 2 - Police in Miami-Dade are looking for more information on the murder of a transgender woman who they believe was killed in a "violent and vicious" attack earlier this month.
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Alexus Braxton, 45, was found dead Feb. 4 inside her northeast Miami-Dade home at the Carmel at the California Condominiums. Braxton's mother and sister were concerned and went to the apartment to check up on Braxton. They felt something was suspicious, so they called the police. When an officer opened the door, he made the discovery. Anyone with information is asked to call Segovia at 305-471-2400 or Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS (8477). Calls are kept anonymous. If the information leads to an arrest, the tipster may be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000.
No. 3 - On the same day employees of Florida International University were asked to come back to campus, the governor of Florida took aim at the health and safety protocols the university is consulting as the basis for bringing its staff back.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidelines for reopening K-12 schools last week. In Florida, public schools have been open since October, with parents given the option of sending their kids to school or keeping them home for remote learning during this pandemic. The superintendents of Miami-Dade and Broward County Public Schools have each announced their support for the CDC guidelines, which are only recommendations. Meanwhile, FIU’s administration is asking its employees who have been working at home to return to their on-campus offices and classrooms.
No. 4 - Broward County has invested millions in a new emergency response system experts say is helping firefighters and officers to respond to emergencies faster.
That’s already happening over a section of Broward. It’s one of many improvements made to the county’s emergency system after issues were revealed in the response to the shooting in Parkland three years ago. New communications towers and new radios for every police officer and firefighter went online two months ago. There were also updates made to the 911 system. For an exclusive look at the new system and why some cities are not taking part, click here for the story from NBC 6 investigator Willard Shepard.
No. 5 - Debra Allen owns Sweet Delights Bakery in Florida City, where she remixes the classic key lime pie and bakes specialty cakes.
It’s a booming bakery Allen, a former nurse, says was birthed from a family emergency. In 2007, her son Ricardo was seriously hurt in Iraq. After leaving her job, she started baking. Allen says she also had to overcome hurdles being a Black, female business owner. In 2014, she used her retirement savings and opened her own shop, moving to Florida City a few years later. To hear how her efforts led to being named America’s top pie, click here for the story from NBC 6 reporter Kim Wynne.
No. 6 - Weatherwise, South Florida will go from possible record setting morning temperatures Tuesday to storms in the afternoon with the arrival of our latest front. Keep your NBC 6 app handy for push alerts on any severe weather as well as First Alert Doppler 6000.
