It’s Friday, September 11th - and NBC 6 has the top stories for the day.
No. 1 - State officials say bars in Florida will be allowed to reopen at 50% capacity starting Monday, but the mayor of Miami-Dade says bars in the county will remain closed.
At the direction of Gov. Ron DeSantis, Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation Secretary Halsey Beshears issued an emergency order rescinding a previous order that halted the sale of alcohol at bars, an agency news release said. Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez tweeted the county would not follow the plan but, in an earlier Zoom interview, Gimenez hinted that strip clubs may possibly reopen before bars, suggesting that strip clubs were less risky than bars and nightclubs in the spread of COVID-19.
No. 2 - Across South Florida, cities will hold events Friday to honor the memories of those lives lost during the September 11th tragedies nearly two decades ago in New York City, Washington D.C. and rural Pennsylvania.
The city of Fort Lauderdale will formally dedicate the new Riverwalk 9-11 Monument during an event at 9 a.m. Mayor Dean Trantalis will be joined by other city officials for the event, which is not open to the public but will be streamed on the city's Facebook page. Click here for a complete list of events being held both in person and virtually.
No. 3 - James Caruso walked out of prison this summer after spending 18 years in the Florida Department of Corrections. Police arrested Caruso in 2002 with 48 pills of hydrocodone, a prescription opioid.
NBC 6 Investigators brought you his story last year as his family was fighting to get him out. At the time, Caruso’s family shared the many important moments he missed behind bars - from birthdays and weddings, to the death of his father. Caruso spent his time behind bars despite the Florida Legislature lowering the mandatory minimum sentences for similar crimes. To hear his story, click here for a report from NBC 6 investigator Phil Prazan.
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No. 4 - Cam’Ron Harris ran for 134 yards and scored twice to lead Miami to a 31-14 season-opening win over UAB Thursday night.
Harris’ second touchdown from 4 yards late in the third period gave Miami a 24-14 lead after the Blazers of Conference USA got within three on Spencer Brown’s 6-yard run. Houston graduate transfer D’Eriq King threw for a touchdown and scored one for Miami, which became the first school from a Power 5 conference to begin the game-depleted 2020 season. Thursday’s attendance of 8,153 at Hard Rock Stadium fell short of the 20 percent cap allowed at the 65,000-seat venue’s capacity in compliance with coronavirus social-distancing guidelines.
No. 5 - Many airlines, hotel brands and cruise lines have issued voluntary refunds for cancellations due to COVID-19, but one man says his refund fell through the cracks.
David Chavez and his wife enjoyed their 2019 Carnival Cruise vacation so much they booked another cruise set to sail in April 2020 but as concerns over the coronavirus grew, he chose to cancel the trip. He says he got a refund for $1,000 immediately, but says he was told the remaining balance of $1,450 would be sent in a check since the bank account he used to purchase the tickets was no longer active. When weeks went by without a full refund, he called the cruise line back. Click here to see what happened next in a report from NBC 6 consumer investigator Sasha Jones.
No. 6 - Weatherwise, a tropical wave moving across South Florida will bring plenty of rain starting Friday and make for a wet weekend in the area. Keep your NBC 6 app handy for push alerts on any severe weather as well as First Alert Doppler 6000.
