It's Thursday, March 4th, and NBC 6 has the top news stories of the day.
No. 1 - South Florida Teachers Begin Getting Their COVID-19 Vaccine Shots
Teachers across South Florida are beginning to get inoculated against COVID-19.
Gov. Ron DeSantis expanded the eligibility list for COVID-19 vaccines last week to include teachers over age 50. Wednesday was the first day those who signed up could actually get their first doses of vaccine.
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"Sure, everyone would’ve like it earlier but here it is, we’re doing it, and we’re delighted about it,” said Kim Kalkus, who teaches Spanish at the private Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart.
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No. 2 - New FEMA Vaccination Site Opens on Miami-Dade College's North Campus
Local
One of Florida's four federally supported vaccination sites opened at Miami-Dade College's north campus Wednesday.
The site, located at 11380 Northwest 27th Avenue, is one of four new FEMA sites that will be operating in Florida.
The sites will operate seven days a week, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. with about 2,000 vaccine doses available per day.
"MDC is very proud to be chosen as a committed partner in helping our community and the entire country reach normalcy during this global pandemic," college president Madeline Pumariega said in a statement.
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No. 3 - Fort Lauderdale Man With Possible Ties to Proud Boys Faces Federal Judge
Federal agents arrested a man with possible ties to the Proud Boys after swarming his residence in South Florida Tuesday.
Prosecutors are accusing Paul Miller of possessing a gun when he was a felon in 2018, and for this he faces a federal weapons charge.
The Anti-Defamation League's Center on Extremism has identified Miller as a "volatile white-supremacist-accelerationist. COE tracked him to Fort Lauderdale and shared significant intelligence with federal law enforcement before today's arrest."
NBC News reported that images of Miller had appeared on social media in posts that appeared to show his support of right wing extremist groups, including the Proud Boys.
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No. 4 - Local Children's Hospital Reports Recent Spike in Rare Inflammatory Syndrome Linked to COVID-19
Fortunately, throughout the pandemic, children usually aren’t the ones who end up hospitalized due to COVID-19.
However, some hospitals, including Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood, are reporting a recent spike in a very rare inflammatory disease in children that has been linked to COVID-19 -- Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children, also known as MIS-C.
While it’s rare, doctors say it can be serious, and it can affect pretty much any organ and often multiple organ systems. Symptoms can include a high fever, respiratory or gastrointestinal issues, and sometimes even a rash.
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No. 5 - US Bishops Urge Catholics to Avoid ‘Morally Compromised' J&J Vaccine
Roman Catholic leaders in St. Louis and New Orleans are advising Catholics that the COVID-19 vaccine from Johnson & Johnson, newly approved for use in the U.S., is “morally compromised” because it is produced using a cell line derived from an aborted fetus.
The New Orleans archdiocese says the decision to receive a vaccine is one of individual conscience. In its statement late last week, it stopped short of advising Catholics not to take the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, but adds that Catholics should choose coronavirus vaccines made by Moderna or Pfizer — if they are available.
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No. 6 - First Alert Weather
From First Alert Meteorologist Adam Berg:
The cold front has arrived and you can feel the difference! Northwest winds are bringing 50s to parts of South Florida early on Thursday with a big drop in humidity too.
Look for mostly sunny skies, low humidity and pleasant highs near 80. No rain today!
Friday looks similar to Thursday except for a sotty shower or two as winds switch to the northeast a little later in the day.
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