It’s Wednesday, November 10th- and NBC 6 has the top stories for the day.
No. 1 - A teacher at John A. Ferguson Senior High School in Miami is facing serious charges after police said he had a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old student.
Aaron Aziz Hamid, 27, surrendered to Miami-Dade County Public Schools Police on Monday to face charges including offenses against students by authority figures, unlawful sexual activity with specified minor, and engaging in sexual act with familial child, authorities said. According to an arrest report, Hamid was the teen's junior year history teacher and she had been attending his classes virtually because of the COVID-19 pandemic, at which point he began a conversation with her and they eventually exchanged numbers.
No. 2 - Broward County Public Schools is now "strongly encouraging" — but no longer requiring — masks for students at all grade levels starting Nov. 20.
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School board members passed the motion Tuesday, citing plummeting COVID-19 cases in the county, the decreasing number of kids in quarantine, and the availability of the vaccine to students ages 5 and up. The update comes after the district relaxed the mandate for high school students last month, with the opt-out that allows parents to choose whether their children will wear a mask. Tuesday's motion expands it to elementary and middle school students and staff.
No. 3 - A Miami Police officer has been relieved of duty after she was charged with battery for allegedly fighting during the Millennium Tour concert over the weekend at the FTX Arena.
Khadijha Hardemon, 27, was arrested Tuesday in connection with the fight on Friday night, according to an arrest report. At the concert, Hardemon approached the father of her child, who was with a woman in the audience, and "aggressively poked the rear of his neck with two fingers," according to the arrest report. At one point, Hardemon approached the victims again with her friends — one of whom threw a punch, and a fight broke out — the report stated.
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No. 4 - Judith Mitrani-Reiser, the associate chief of materials and structural systems for the National Institute of Standards and Technology, is the lead investigator in NIST's probe of the collapse of Champlain Towers South in Surfside
Inspired by her father's and other relatives' interest in math and engineering, Reiser has reached new heights of her profession travelling from disaster to disaster, only to wind up at one very close to home. She is leading a group that includes a dozen men in determining what happened at Champlain Towers and how to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
No. 5 - Gas prices are dramatically higher than they were this time last year.
With gas prices increasing by more than a dollar per gallon in just one year, many drivers are left frustrated by a hefty price tag at the gas station. A higher global demand for energy coupled with a production problem are to blame, according to FIU Economics Professor Hakan Yilmazkuday. Unfortunately for drivers, Yilmazkuday says it could be well into next year before we see relief.
No. 6 - Miami's iconic Versailles restaurant celebrates its 50th anniversary Wednesday.
For 50 years, Versailles has been a staple in the Little Havana community for Cuban food, Cafecito and conversation. As the famed family-run restaurant prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary Wednesday, it's no wonder they've been around this long. The location along Southwest 8th Street and 36th Avenue in Miami is known for being a magnet for celebrations and high profile politicians running for office.
