It’s Monday, November 1st - and NBC 6 has the top stories for the day.
No. 1 - Law enforcement from around South Florida and across the country will gather Monday to honor the life of a Hollywood Police Department officer killed in the line of duty last month.
A memorial service will be held to remember Ofc. Yandy Chirino at the FLA Live Arena in Sunrise. Mourners gathered in Miami Lakes for a viewing Sunday to remember the 28-year-old Chirino, who spent four years with the HPD and was a native of South Florida. Chirino was shot during an altercation with 18-year-old Jason Banegas after responding to a call of a late-night suspicious incident October 17th. Banegas is facing felony murder, armed burglary, battery on a law enforcement officer, carrying a concealed firearm violation, grand theft of a firearm, and resisting arrest with violence. He is being held without bond.
No. 2 - Over 1,800 American Airlines flights were canceled across the U.S. Halloween weekend and thousands of passengers are spending more time in South Florida than planned, as Miami International’s biggest carrier is struggling to get planes in the air.
Get South Florida local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC South Florida newsletters.
The airline is blaming staffing issues touched off by weather problems late last week at the hub in Dallas. 83 American Airlines departures from MIA were cancelled Sunday, more than a third of its flights on Halloween, after dozens were cancelled Saturday. The company’s Chief Operating Officer David Seymour wrote to employees that because of “…two days of severe winds at DFW…we could only use two runways instead of the usual five” beginning last Thursday.
No. 3 - Two of Florida's largest school districts are easing up on their masks requirement this week.
Starting Monday, Orange County students can stop wearing face masks if their parents provide a note opting them out. In Broward County, high school students can choose to wear a mask starting Monday, and it's strongly encouraged, but it will still be mandatory for middle and elementary school students. In Broward County, board members said mask mandates and current quarantine policies should stay in place for the lower grades until a coronavirus vaccine is widely available for children ages 5 through 11. The vaccine already is available to children 12 years and older.
Local
No. 4 - The United States Supreme Court will hear two challenges on Monday to Texas’ new abortion law. The court has taken this up with unusual speed.
One of the challenges is from Whole Women’s Health, which will dispute the constitutionality of the law. The other case is from the U.S Department of Justice. The Biden administration has sued over the law and its case deals with whether the federal government has the authority to challenge it. Texas Senate Bill 8, passed this year, bans abortions after cardiac activity is detected — which can be as early as six weeks after conception. There are exceptions in the case of the health of the mother, but not in cases of rape and incest.
No. 5 - White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Sunday she has contracted COVID-19 and is experiencing mild symptoms.
Psaki, 42, said she was last in contact with President Joe Biden on Tuesday, when she met him in the White House, where they were more than 6 feet apart and wearing masks. Biden, who is tested frequently, last tested negative on Saturday, according to the White House. Psaki did not accompany Biden on his trip abroad to Rome this weekend for the Group of 20 summit and Glasgow, Scotland, on Monday for a U.N. climate summit. Psaki had planned to travel with the president but scrapped the trip just as he was set to depart for Europe after learning that members of her household had tested positive for COVID-19.
No. 6 - Bills coach Sean McDermott isn’t exactly certain what Josh Allen meant about finding his inner Zen to shrug off a shaky start.
Call it what you want, all that mattered was Allen finally finding his groove in time to pull out a 26-11 victory over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. It took a little over a half for Allen to shake off the rust from a bye week break before leading Buffalo to score 23 points over its final four possessions. The Dolphins cut the lead to 17-11 on Tua Tagovailoa’s 1-yard plunge and 2-point conversion pass to Mike Gesicki early in the fourth quarter. The Dolphins (1-7) have lost seven straight overall to match their longest skid since losing their first seven of the 2019 season.
