It’s Wednesday, June 1st - and NBC 6 has the top stories for the day.
No. 1 - Wednesday marks the first day of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season and forecasters are already preparing for the first system that could make landfall in Florida this weekend.
The National Hurricane Center reported an area of low pressure could develop near the Yucatan Peninsula partially related to the remnants of Hurricane Agatha. Energy from the remnants of Agatha will continue to slide northeast toward the Gulf of Mexico and there is now a 70% chance that a tropical depression will form somewhere between the Yucatan and the southern half of Florida. If it develops into a tropical storm, which forecasters said is possible, it would be named Alex.
No. 2 - The 2022 Atlantic Hurricane Season officially began Wednesday with researchers predicting an "above-normal" year and forecasters already keeping an eye on one system that could become the first named storm of the season.
Get South Florida local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC South Florida newsletters.
The hurricane season begins on June 1 and runs through Nov. 30. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's averages for the Atlantic hurricane season is 14 named storms and seven hurricanes. The average for major hurricanes is three. Last month, NOAA released their predictions for this year, calling for an "above-normal" 2022 with 14-21 named storms expected. Of those named storms, six to ten are expected to be hurricanes and three to six could be major hurricanes, NOAA officials said. NOAA's updated predictions will be issued in August, before the peak of hurricane season.
No. 3 - A mother was killed and her son and nephew were injured after they hit a bridge during a parasailing accident in the Florida Keys Monday.
The accident happened before 5:30 p.m. when 33-year-old Supraja Alaparthi; her son Sriakshith Alaparthi, 10; and her nephew Vishant Sadda, 9; were parasailing and the winds picked up and slammed them into the old Seven Mile Bridge west of Marathon, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials said. The incident report said a strong gust of wind "pegged" the parasail after the three victims were in flight, meaning when a parasail chute becomes controlled by the weather conditions (wind speed) and not by the vessel's operation. Paramedics were called to the scene, where Supraja Alaparthi was declared dead. Vishant Sadda was transported to Miami for additional treatment, and Sriakshith Alaparthi had minimal injuries.
Local
No. 4 - The wife of a man who was killed in a hit-and-run in northwest Miami-Dade one year ago spoke out Tuesday to plead for help in finding the driver.
Johnny Cruz, 55, was riding his scooter in the area of Northwest 22nd Avenue and Northwest 133rd Street around 5:15 a.m. on May 30, 2021 when he was struck and killed, Miami-Dade Police officials said. His wife, Desiree Martinez, joined detectives at a news conference Tuesday to ask for the public's help to find the driver of what authorities believe was a blue Dodge Charger that hit him. Martinez said her husband had just bought the scooter about a month earlier and had gone out on an early morning ride.
No. 5 - On her Youtube channel, Dr. Nancy Alvarez can be seen talking about stem cell therapies.
The popular sex therapist — who has made appearances on Spanish language television including our sister network Telemundo — and her husband Dr. Alvaro Skupin are now at the center of a lawsuit involving the use of stem cells. The suit alleges Esperanza Cruz, 71, went blind after receiving stem cell therapy at the Mother Stem Institute in Coral Gables, which is owned by Alvarez. Skupin is a doctor at the clinic. Attorney Andrew Yaffa, who is representing Cruz, told NBC 6 Cruz was seeking treatment for rheumatoid arthritis and the eye condition, macular degeneration. Click here for more in a report from NBC 6 consumer investigator Sasha Jones.
No. 6 - A study found pharmaceutical drugs are in fish located in Biscayne Bay and the Florida Keys. Scientists said this is an alarming find and it’s because the drugs are coming from our homes directly to the water.
Researchers at FIU and the non-profit Science and Conservation for Bonefish and Tarpon Trust. have been working on a study for years testing bonefish in South Florida. They tested nearly 100 fish and found an average of seven pharmaceutical drugs per fish, even finding 17 in one single fish. Some of the drugs found included painkillers, heart medications and antidepressants.
