It’s Friday, July 23rd - and NBC 6 has the top stories for the day.
No. 1 - Hospitals across Broward County and Miami-Dade County are restricting visitors in response to the increase in COVID-19 cases and rising positivity rate.
The latest totals of COVID-positive patients in the hospital creep up daily, with as many as 354 in the Baptist Health Care System and 122 in the Broward Health Care System. Many say they often have the same request. Meanwhile, a handful of physicians criticized Gov. Ron DeSantis for the way he’s handling the pandemic of late, claiming he’s stopping encouraging people to get vaccinated. Click here for the story from NBC 6 reporter Marissa Bagg.
No. 2 - A group of Cuban American boaters will take to the waters Friday from South Florida in an effort to show support to their homeland.
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The flotilla will leave from the Bayside marina Friday morning, stopping in Key West to refuel and have their vessels checked for safety regulations by the United States Coast Guard before arriving at a proposed point outside of Havana. The flotilla is expected to arrive back in Key West after sunset. Various plans had been in place to deliver supplies in recent weeks but were all delayed due to weather. Thursday, The Biden administration announced new sanctions against a Cuban official and a government entity that it says was involved in human rights abuses during a government crackdown on protests on the island earlier this month.
No. 3 - A video wall that was set up at a stage for the Rolling Loud music festival collapsed Thursday ahead of the event, but no injuries were reported.
Footage from Chopper 6 showed the scene at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. The wall collapsed at around 8:30 a.m. The crew was working on repairing the wall. Like many other events, Rolling Loud was canceled last year because of the coronavirus pandemic. Originally set for May 2020, the event was rescheduled several times. This weekend's lineup includes A$AP Rocky, Travis Scott and Post Malone.
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No. 4 - Teachers, students and everyone connected to Broward County Public Schools has a new leader.
In a 5-4 split decision vote, the school board chose Dr. Vickie Cartwright to be the temporary boss, to serve in the time between Robert Runcie’s departure and the hiring of a permanent superintendent. She already has the support of the Broward Teacher’s Union, which pledged to work with her and touted her pro-union stance. On the opposite side, board member Laurie Rich-Levinson pointed out that Cartwright’s latest job, as superintendent of schools in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, is not adequate preparation to lead Broward County Public Schools. Click here for the story from NBC 6 reporter Ari Odzer.
No. 5 - After a pandemic boom left many pet shelters empty, pets are now waiting longer to get adopted and spending more time in shelters.
Every year during the summer months, animal welfare and rescue organizations across the country experience an influx of pets in need of loving homes. Because of that sad reality, Miami-Dade County Animal Services is making a plea for pet adopters and foster parents to open their hearts and homes to a shelter pet, especially medium and large dogs. Currently there are more than 450 pets ready to go home with a fur-ever or foster family today. Click here to find out how you can help in a story from NBC 6 reporter Claudia Docampo.
No. 6 - Let the Games begin! The Tokyo Olympics, after being postponed for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, finally commence Friday with the majesty of the Opening Ceremony at Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium.
That will kick off the two-week global competition that features thousands of athletes, hundreds of countries and a record 339 medal events in 41 different sports. With the United States’ Eastern Standard Time being 13 hours behind Japan, it’s going to be an early morning for those in the U.S. who want to watch the ceremony live. NBC’s live coverage in the United States will begin around 6:55 a.m. ET. The 2021 Tokyo Opening ceremony will re-air in primetime at 7:30 p.m. ET, and again overnight.
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