Miami-Dade

6 To Know: Biden Lays Out $1.9 Trillion COVID-19 Plan; Some Miami-Dade Vaccine Sites May Close

Here are your top news stories of the day.

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It’s Friday, Jan. 15, and NBC 6 has your top news stories of the day.

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Here are your six things to know.

No. 1 - President-Elect Joe Biden lays out 1.9T COVID-19 plan

President-elect Joe Biden laid out a nearly $2 trillion COVID-19 plan Thursday, which includes a stimulus package for most Americans.

Called the “American Rescue Plan,” the legislative proposal seeks to end “a crisis of deep human suffering” and would meet Biden's goal of administering 100 million vaccines by the 100th day of his administration. It would also advance his objective of reopening most schools by the spring.

Biden proposed $1,400 checks for most Americans, which on top of $600 provided in the most recent COVID-19 bill, would bring the total to the $2,000 that Biden has called for.

No. 2 - Some Miami-Dade vaccine sites may have to close

Some COVID-19 vaccination sites in Miami-Dade may have to close next week, as county officials said they've been told they won't be receiving new doses next week.

The state-run sites at Hard Rock Stadium and Marlins Park will be receiving 7,000 vaccine doses each next week, but county officials said no doses are coming for county-run sites at Tropical Park or Zoo Miami.

County officials said the state placed the blame for the lack of doses on the federal government.

No. 3 - Public safety ahead of MLK weekend

Law enforcement agencies are urging the public be safe as Martin Luther King Jr. weekend approaches, a holiday that usually entails dangerous stunts on the highways of South Florida.

“This event is non-sanctioned, it’s illegal and a threat to the public safety," said Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony at a press conference Thursday.

What started as a "Wheels Up, Guns Down" event to curb violence several years ago has now turned into a repetitive headache for officials, as hundreds of ATV, dirt bike and off-road vehicle drivers weave through traffic.

In Miami Beach, a task force has already been working in recent weeks to seize illegal weapons. So far officials say they have made more than 200 arrests, and handed out 700 traffic citations.

No. 4 - Miami mayor wants vaccine priority for residents

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez is pushing for priority for the COVID-19 vaccine to go to residents of the city first.

Suarez introduced a pocket item at Thursday's commission meeting asking for the city manager's office and the city lawyer to take all legal steps to prevent non-residents from receiving the vaccine before the elderly population and the general population of the city.

"We're seeing a lot of high profile people who are in effect saying that they got priority over our residents," Suarez said. "Obviously whatever we do has to pass legal muster."

No. 5 - Broward mayor says county ramping up efforts to get residents vaccinated

Broward County Mayor Steve Geller says the county is going to be ramping efforts to get more people vaccinated within the next few weeks.

The mayor said the county saw an uptick in COVID-19 cases after the holidays and now they need to step things up.

The effort includes a new vaccination site in Hollywood along with several pop-up sites. These will be in addition to about 10 sites that are already up and running in Broward.

Geller said mayors within the cities in Broward are negotiating whether leftover federal money through the CARES act can be used to ramp up vaccinations. If so, Geller said the money will be used to expand county parks into sites or increase the number of tents and vaccinations at sites that already exist. 

He hopes to have everyone vaccinated by the summer.

No. 6 - Mega Millions and Powerball have a combined jackpot $1.39 billion

Somebody could be starting off the new year with a big pile of cash.

The Mega Millions jackpot is growing once again — it's now up to an estimated $750 million for Friday night's drawing.

The Powerball jackpot is skyrocketing, too. It's at $640 million, meaning that $1.39 billion is up for grabs over the next few days.

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