It’s Friday, July 30th - and NBC 6 has the top stories for the day.
No. 1 - Florida is once again taking the lead as one of the worst states in the nation for COVID cases and hospitalizations, both numbers soaring in recent weeks.
Florida has reported 22 percent of the nation's COVID cases over the last two weeks, but makes up only six percent of the US population, by far the largest disparity among the states. Florida ranks first in per capita COVID hospital admissions and second for child hospitalizations. Over the last week, it is second only to Louisiana in new cases per capita. To hear why one expert is extremely concerned, click here for the story from NBC 6 investigator Tony Pipitone.
No. 2 - The results are in for two of the state’s most critical tests for students and in Broward County, that "COVID slide" was pretty big.
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Test results show nearly a 20 percent drop in scores this year. The report shows Broward County students grades 3 - 8 had an 18 percent drop in FSA Math, EOC Algebra 1 and Geometry, compared to 2018/2019 test results. The school district did say that participation in both exams was about 10 percent lower this year. To hear what county officials are saying, click here for the story from NBC 6 reporter Kim Wynne.
No. 3 - 56-year-old Noe Perez is known as a hard-working family man, lover of Cumbia music and a local electrician. His family says he’d never been hospitalized in his life, until June 21, the day his battle with COVID-19 began.
He’s now intubated and fighting for his at Broward Health North. NBC 6 cameras got a behind the scenes look at the Critical Care Unit at Broward Health North and the story of a man fighting for his life. To hear the message from his family and friends, click here for the story from NBC 6 reporter Ryan Nelson.
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No. 4 - The feud between the town of Surfside and Miami-Dade County has been brewing for weeks, and it’s not getting better.
The Champlain Towers site is off-limits to the public, but also to the town’s hired structural engineering expert, Allyn Kilsheimer. Charles Burkett, Mayor of Surfside said that Kilsheimer is "the best there is. He’s the guy that should be looking at this and telling us why that building fell down built since day one, he’s not been allowed to do that.” From Surfside’s perspective, now that all the victims have been recovered, the priority is finding out why Champlain Towers South collapsed and whether any other buildings, especially the near-carbon copy Champlain Towers North, are in danger. Click here for that story from NBC 6 reporter Ari Odzer.
No. 5 - The federal eviction moratorium is set to expire on July 31. But President Biden asked Congress Thursday to pass an emergency extension.
A statement released by the White House cited the recent spread of the Delta variant, “including among those Americans both most likely to face evictions and lacking vaccination.” The President also asked for other agencies to extend measures that would protect people living in federally-insured, single-family properties. Congress has just three days to move before the eviction ban from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention expires. Many South Florida renters are already at risk of eviction. Click here for the story from NBC 6 investigator Sasha Jones.
No. 6 - In today’s red-hot housing market – properties can get scooped up in a flash.
Statewide, a study notes properties are about 22% overpriced. The study looked at housing trends over the past decades and analyzed where house prices should be and what you should be paying for a home. According to one expert, prices will eventually stabilize. It’s just a matter of when. Click here for the story from NBC 6 reporter Cristian Benavides.
