It’s Friday, April 8th - and NBC 6 has the top stories for the day.
No. 1 - Many travelers at South Florida airports are preparing for their flights to be delayed and even canceled as mass delays and cancellations continue to frustrate flyers on Friday morning.
At Miami International Airport, a total of 9 flights have been canceled as of Friday morning. A total of 17 other flights were delayed. Fort Lauderdale is seeing 16 flight cancellations and at least 30 delays. Yesterday, MIA saw more than 400 delays and 30 cancellations, and FLL had 371 delays and 65 cancellations. These numbers are part of a worldwide issue with flights this morning. A woman named Sheila Santiago says she’s been in lines for hours and nobody is giving her a clear answer as to what’s going on. “What haven’t I gone through?" says Santiago. "We started in Orlando, and we’ve been canceled, missed flights, ran through the airport for about a mile, still missed a flight, got on a plane, they canceled the flight, and I’ve been on endless lines.”
No. 2 - A woman who witnessed her daughter being gunned down at a Miami-Dade Jewish community center over the weekend is speaking out, as her son-in-law is facing a murder charge in the killing.
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Dulcinea Everett had gone to the Michael-Ann Russell Jewish Community Center on Sunday with daughter Shandell Harris to attend Everett's granddaughter's swimming lesson. Miami-Dade Police officials said at some point, 45-year-old Carl Watts, Harris' husband, showed up and fatally shot Harris on the pool deck, killing her. "When I looked I knew she was gone," Everett said Thursday.
No. 3 - A Miami-Dade Police officer has been relieved of duty amid an investigation into an alleged crime against a child, officials said.
The department released a statement Thursday saying they were coordinating the criminal investigation with the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office. The statement didn't identify the officer or give details on the accusations but said the officer was relieved of duty and was being questioned. Police Director George Perez said the accusations involve a crime against a child. "Our children trust us to keep them safe and out of harm’s way. Not only as law enforcement but as a father, a crime against a child is intolerable and will never be accepted," Perez said in a statement. "It sickens me to learn that one of our law enforcement officers is involved in betraying that trust. We will ensure transparency to our community and will provide an update as this investigation continues."
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No. 4 - Packing up and heading to Ukraine. That’s what one Fort Lauderdale firefighter is doing to help first responders in the war-torn country.
It could be tomorrow or in two weeks, but as of now, Matt Johnson is on standby, waiting for his orders to pack up and go. Johnson said that while he’s there he will bring medical supplies, gear and join forces with Ukrainian first responders. Johnson is a firefighter paramedic with Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue and will join 15 others as part of Project Joint Guardian. “The camaraderie and sense of brotherhood, it’s so prevalent in our line and our profession,” Johnson said. “There’s children that need our help. There’s people that need help over there."
No. 5 - Police are searching for the man caught on camera with his dog attacking another man at a Fort Lauderdale ATM last month.
Fort Lauderdale Police on Thursday released surveillance video of the incident, which took place March 2nd just after 4 p.m. in the 800 block of Northwest 62nd Street. In the video, the 68-year-old victim is seen at the ATM when the suspect approaches and punches the victim in the face as the victim was removing cash. After the victim fell to the ground, police said the suspect ordered his dog to attack him while he punched the victim over a dozen more times and kicked him. The suspect later fled the scene with an unknown woman in a white vehicle, believed to be a Hyundai. Police described the suspect as a male between 20 and 30 years old with brown hair and brown eyes. He was wearing no shirt and black pants in the video.
No. 6 - One day later than several other Major League Baseball franchises, the Miami Marlins will play ball on the start of the 2022 regular season Friday.
The Marlins will face off against the San Francisco Giants at 4:35 p.m. in the first of a three-game series between the teams. Sandy Alcantara, who went 9-15 with a 3.19 ERA for Miami in the 2021 season, will be the opening day starter for the third straight season. Miami is coming off a 67-95 record last season that saw the team finish fourth place in the National League East. In the offseason, the Marlins lost the team's CEO and part-owner when Derek Jeter stepped down. On the field, Miami will add 2021 World Series MVP Jorge Soler to the outfield after signing the free agent from divisional rival Atlanta. In a condensed spring training due to the MLB lockout, Miami finished with a 7-7 record.
