It’s Monday, August 24th - and NBC 6 has the top stories for the day.
No. 1 - Parts of the Florida Keys remain on guard while Tropical Storm Laura continues to churn south of Cuba early Monday morning.
A tropical storm warning has been placed from Key West northward to near Marathon, areas that could expect tropical storm force winds and heavy rainfall starting as early as Monday morning. Laura was forecast to move along Cuba's southern coast during the day before entering the Gulf of Mexico and heading toward a stretch of U.S. coast later in the week, most likely as powerful as a Category 2 hurricane.
No. 2 - At the same time, the Florida Keys ended its partial evacuation Sunday after Tropical Storm Laura's projected path moved away from the islands.
Monroe County emergency managers said boats, mobile homes, recreational vehicles, trailers and campers are no longer being asked to leave the island chain. They are recommending that those who live on boats find shelter on land as seas are expected to be rough as Laura passes to the west into the Gulf of Mexico. They also asked that those who had already evacuated wait until Tuesday before returning.
No. 3 - Police are asking the public for help to find a person they say was involved in a fatal hit and run which killed a child in Bal Harbour Saturday evening.
According to Miami-Dade Police, Luisa Fernanda Ahearn has been identified as a subject. They did not say how she was involved with the incident. Authorities are also searching for a 2018 Kia Optima with the license plate IYY-I58, which they say struck a 14-year-old boy on a bicycle at the 10000 block of Collins Avenue. Detectives say the child, who they identified as Ethan Gordon, was trying to cross a pedestrian walkway to get on a bridge bike path when he was struck. He later died at an area hospital.
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No. 4 - Republicans are ready to formally nominate President Donald Trump for reelection at a scaled-down convention kickoff in Charlotte that begins a weeklong effort to convince the American people that the president deserves a second term.
Despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, delegates will hold an in-person roll-call vote in a ballroom at the Charlotte Convention Center before attention turns to prime-time programming. The GOP convention is a crucial moment for Trump, who is trailing in national and battleground state polls and under intense pressure to turn the race around. NBC News will have complete coverage of night one starting at 10 p.m.
No. 5 - The Miami Heat are one win away from advancing in the NBA playoffs and can get that win and a sweep of the Indiana Pacers on Monday.
Jimmy Butler scored 27 points and the Heat held off a furious rally to take a 3-0 lead in the Eastern Conference playoff series on Saturday. If Miami advances, they would play the winner of the series between the top seeded Milwaukee Bucks and the Orlando Magic.
No. 6 - Weatherwise, parts of South Florida could see a windy and wet start to the work week thanks to Tropical Storm Laura’s movement further to the south. Keep your NBC 6 app handy for push alerts on any severe weather as well as First Alert Doppler 6000.
