It’s Friday, July 24th - and NBC 6 has the top stories for the day.
No. 1 - Some residents in Miami most in need of assistance with paying their rent during the coronavirus pandemic will likely get a helping hand.
Mayor Francis Suarez, along with nearly all city commissioners, announced Thursday a $1.3 million donation from the Local Housing Assistance Program to help with rental assistance in the city. An additional $306,000 allocated for a separate project sponsored by commission vice-chair Ken Russell will also be moved to help with rental assistance, Suarez announced. The donation is intended to help with mortgage assistance and rental help at a time where a growing number of residents are out of work.
No. 2 - The final phase of the latest wave of coronavirus infections -- deaths -- has arrived in Florida at a record pace.
Over the last week, 120 deaths have been confirmed on average each day, including a record 173 Thursday. But when asked about Florida's deadliest days, Gov. Ron DeSantis downplayed the significance of the numbers produced by his own Department of Heath. To hear what else DeSantis had to say, click here for the story from NBC 6 investigator Tony Pipitone.
No. 3 - For Carla Lissa, the process of getting unemployment benefits was not easy. On Thursday, Carla said she was still missing benefits for several weeks in June.
She said she has called the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity dozens of times, trying to get answers, and that she was told there was a glitch impacting her claim. Adding to her concerns, was the very real possibility that Carla will soon see the $600 federal benefit she has been receiving disappear, if Congress allows it to expire by the end of the month. To hear more on what others with the same issues are going through, click here for a report from NBC 6 Responds’ Alina Machado.
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No. 4 - The last few weeks have been tough on Christina Diaz and her fiancée Jessi Martinez.
Diaz is an emergency room nurse at Jackson Memorial Hospital, where she says dealing with the recent uptick in COVID-19 cases has been overwhelming. Along with work stress, on July 1, she tested positive for COVID-19. The couple social distanced and wore face coverings. Diaz thought she was in the clear, getting another test two weeks later. But, again she tested positive. Click here for more on what was the darkest chapter in their lives in a story from NBC 6 reporter Kim Wynne.
No. 5 - It’s play ball for the Miami Marlins as the abbreviated 2020 season gets underway Friday for the team.
Miami will open their season on with the Marlins facing the Philadelphia Phillies in a three game series at Citizens Bank Park. The Marlins will play 40 games against teams from their own division, the National League East, and 20 games against teams from the American League East. The move was done in an effort to help reduce the amount of travel amid the pandemic.
No. 6 - Weatherwise, all eyes remain in the tropics Friday morning with Tropical Storm Gonzalo moving across the Atlantic, while Tropical Storm Hanna is expected to make landfall this weekend along the Gulf Coast as rainfall will continue through the weekend across South Florida. Keep your NBC 6 app handy for push alerts on any severe weather as well as First Alert Doppler 6000.
