It’s Tuesday, June 1st - and NBC 6 has the top stories for the day.
No. 1 - Authorities released new surveillance footage of the suspects in the Sunday morning shooting outside a Miami-Dade County banquet hall that left two people dead and more than 20 others injured.
The brief video clip shows the three suspects who police say opened fire on a crowd outside El Mula banquet hall at 7630 Northwest 186th Street. Miami-Dade Police officials in South Florida said several people were standing outside when the gunmen began shooting indiscriminately into the crowd. The trio is seen getting out of a white Nissan Pathfinder armed and wearing masks, then getting back in the SUV and fleeing the scene. Later Monday, police confirmed that the Pathfinder was discovered submerged in a canal in the area of 154th Street and Northwest 2nd Avenue. The vehicle had been reported stolen on May 15.
No. 2 - After the two deadly shootings over this Memorial Day weekend, the spotlight will go to the Miami-Dade County Commission, which could vote on a gun violence prevention plan next month. The vote will carry much more significance.
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County Mayor Danielle Levine Cava’s office told NBC 6 they hope the commission votes on the “Peace and Prosperity” plan next month. The plan will use $90 million over the next 19 years after the cryptocurrency stock exchange company FTX purchased the naming rights to the Miami Heat arena. The plan aims to pump money into an existing county park program called Fit2Lead, a mentoring, paid internship and job program. If passed, the county will use nearly $2 million to expand Fit2Lead to another 1,100 teenagers.
No. 3 - It's that time of the year many Floridians tend to be worried about: the six-month hurricane season that has forecasters hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst.
The annual event starts Tuesday and runs through November 30th but has already seen the first named storm of the year form less than two weeks ago. Subtropical Storm Ana formed on May 22nd off the coast of Bermuda but was quickly downgraded to a tropical depression before moving away from the country into the Atlantic Ocean. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released their prediction for the year last month, calling for an "above-normal" 2021 Atlantic hurricane season, with 13-20 named storms expected. You can get a complete preview of the season during our NBC 6 hurricane season special airing Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
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No. 4 - Broward high schools will hold the final day of a week long event giving doses of the Pfizer vaccine to anyone wanting them.
The partnership between the Florida Department of Health-Broward County and the Broward County Public Schools is providing the second round of free, voluntary Pfizer COVID-19 vaccinations to students, staff and their families ages 12 and up at all public high schools and participating charter high schools in the county. Students younger than18 years of age can be vaccinated without a parent or guardian present if they bring a consent form signed by a parent or guardian with them to the event. The event started May 25th. For a list of locations, click on this link.
No. 5 - Whether it is filling up the gas tank or shopping for food, some consumers told NBC 6 they’re feeling the pinch.
According to the latest consumer price index data for the South Florida region, area prices went up 4.1% in the past year (April 2020 v. April 2021). If you look at where things were in April of last year, much of the economy was shut down and prices had dipped to their lowest point in years. But as the economy recovered, the consumer price index for all items shot up. To hear why some economist say it’s too early to tell if the prices will stay high, click here for the story from NBC 6 consumer investigator Alina Machado.
No. 6 - For years, Florida has been reminding motorists not to use flashing hazard lights while driving.
Well starting soon, feel free to flash away — but only on the highway. And only in heavy rain or fog. Beginning July 1, unless Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoes the measure, Florida drivers will be allowed to use hazard lights on roads with speed limits at or above 55 mph when the conditions create “extremely low visibility.” The law rebuts years of messaging by state traffic officials, who have been telling drivers on social media, on highway signs and in news stories not to use those lights in the rain.
