It’s Friday, December 17th - and NBC 6 has the top stories for the day.
No. 1 - With so many people traveling internationally over the next few weeks during the holiday season, COVID-19 testing has now become a mandatory part of travel plans.
Right now, anyone traveling into the United States will need to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test within one day of boarding. For those who need tests ahead of local travel or family gatherings, MiamiDade.gov provides a list of the nearest testing site and the hours.
No. 2 - South Florida schools announced Thursday there will be increased law enforcement presence across the district in light of the rise of social media threats.
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The district also referred to a widely circulated TikTok video that threatens violence in schools on Friday, Dec. 17. "While this threat did not originate locally and is not believed to be credible, there will be increased law enforcement presence across our schools," the statement read. A number of students in South Florida have been arrested in recent weeks for allegedly making threats to public schools in the area.
No. 3 - If pro sports leagues are the puck, COVID-19 is the stick, slapping them all over the place. Dozens of players from NHL, NBA, and NFL are currently sidelined because they’ve tested positive for the coronavirus.
“What’s happening now over the past couple of years is unprecedented,” said Miami Herald sports columnist Greg Cote. The Florida Panthers currently have seven players out with Covid. The Miami Dolphins also have five players out of action, and the Miami Heat’s Caleb Martin is sidelined. He tested positive immediately after the best game of his career.
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No. 4 - Every year our reporting partners at PolitFact determine which lie had the greatest impact this year. They’ve been doing a “lie of the year” since 2009 and this year it is the continuing effort to downplay the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6th.
The readers of PolitiFact chose former President Trump’s claim that he won re-election in a landslide as the “lie of the year.” PolitiFact editors chose the lies downplaying the attack on the U.S. Capitol. The two stories work hand-in-hand as the attempt to stop America’s tradition of a peaceful transfer of power.
No. 5 - The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday permanently removed a major obstacle for women seeking abortion pills, eliminating a long-standing requirement that they pick up the medication in person.
Millions of American women will now be able to get a prescription via an online consultation and receive the pills through the mail. FDA officials said a scientific review supported broadening access, including no longer limiting dispensing to a small number of specialty clinics and doctor's offices. The effect will vary by state. More than a dozen Republican-led states have passed measures that limit access to the pills, including outlawing delivery by mail.
No. 6 - Students at Golden Glades Elementary School received toys for the holidays, thanks to the Jada Page Foundation.
Jada, 8, was killed in a drive-by shooting five years ago in Northwest Miami-Dade. She was sitting on her father's front porch when they were wounded. A bullet struck Jada in the back of her head, and her father, who police say was the intended target, was shot in the chest and survived.
