It’s Monday, May 9th - and NBC 6 has the top stories for the day.
No. 1 - A woman who was seen on video beating a child with a belt at a Florida City school Thursday has since been arrested and booked into jail, police said.
According to jail records, Kady Ann Sewell, 33, was booked Saturday and charged with child abuse without great bodily harm, educational interference, and trespassing within a school safety zone. The charges carry a total bond amount of $6,000, according to jail records. NBC 6 reported Thursday that surveillance video appeared to show a woman going into the Bethel Seventh Day Adventist private school on Redland Road in Florida City, and attacking a child with a belt during school hours. Zendre Pollard said Thursday her son was on the receiving end of the belt attack, and said her son suffered a busted lip.
No. 2 - The death toll of a powerful explosion at a luxury hotel in Cuba's capital increased to 31 Sunday evening as search crews with dogs hunted through the rubble of the iconic, 19th-century building looking for people still missing.
Get South Florida local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC South Florida newsletters.
The Hotel Saratoga, a five-star 96-room hotel in Old Havana, was preparing to reopen after being closed for two years when an apparent gas leak ignited, blowing the outer walls into the busy, midmorning streets just a block from the country’s Capitol building on Friday. Several nearby structures also were damaged, including the historic Marti Theater and the Calvary Baptist Church, headquarters for the denomination in western Cuba. The church said on its Facebook page that the building suffered “significant structural damage, with several collapsed or cracked walls and columns (and) the ceiling partially collapsed,” though no church workers were hurt.
No. 3 - Russian forces pushed forward Monday in their assault on Ukraine, seeking to capture the crucial southern port city of Mariupol as Moscow prepared to celebrate its national Victory Day holiday.
Determined to show a success in a war now in its 11th week, Russian troops have targeted a sprawling seaside steel mill where an estimated 2,000 Ukrainian fighters were making what appeared to be their last stand to save Mariupol from falling. The mill is the only part of the city not overtaken by the invaders, and its defeat would deprive Ukraine of a vital port and allow Russia to establish a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that worsening attacks could be linked to Victory Day, which marks Russia’s greatest triumph, over Nazi Germany in 1945.
Local
No. 4 - A street sign in Pembroke Pines was dedicated to a young boy who died after a plane crashed onto the car he was in.
Taylor Wade Bishop was just 4 years old when the tragedy occurred in March of 2021. On Saturday, his family and loved ones gathered for the emotional unveiling of the sign. When the airplane crashed onto the SUV the boy and his mother were in, the crash killed two men who were in the plane as well. The National Transportation Safety Board released a preliminary report saying the small plane sputtered and backfired even before it taxied to a takeoff. The bittersweet ceremony to honor the boy's life brought the community and city leaders together. Click here for more in a report from NBC 6’s Victor Jorges.
No. 5 - James Harden scored 31 points, Joel Embiid had 24 points and 11 rebounds and the Philadelphia 76ers beat Miami 116-108 on Sunday night in Game 4 to even the Eastern Conference semifinal series.
The Heat won the first two games in Miami with Embiid out with a right orbital fracture and mild concussion. The 76ers won Games 3 and 4 at home with Embiid and his mask in the lineup. Game 5 is Tuesday night in Miami. Meanwhile, the Florida Panthers hope to avoid going down further in their first round series with the Washington Capitals with Game 4 taking place Monday night.
No. 6 - Max Verstappen was explosive at the start Sunday and used a pair of aggressive passes to get past Ferrari and current championship leader Charles Leclerc. Once out front, the reigning world champion controlled the inaugural Miami Grand Prix for his third win in five races to start the season.
The 23rd win of the Dutchman's career sliced eight points off Leclerc's lead in the standings. Verstappen now trails him by 19 points headed into the Spanish Grand Prix in two weeks. He celebrated on the podium with Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino, who represented the host Miami Dolphins in presenting Verstappen with his winning trophy and an official helmet. Verstappen started third after Ferrari locked up the front row with Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. in qualifying. But in the end, Red Bull got the best of its new rival for a second consecutive race.
