News You Should Know

6 to Know: Battle Over Pompano Beach Renovation Gridlock Continues

It’s Wednesday, December 15th - and NBC 6 has the top stories for the day

NBCUniversal Media, LLC

It’s Wednesday, December 15th - and NBC 6 has the top stories for the day.

No. 1 - Thirteen people were taken into police custody after a massive fight at Miami Central High School Tuesday.

The incident happened at the school at 1781 Northwest 95th Street, where a large number of officers were on the campus. Cell phone video recorded by a student showed several teens involved in the chaos as school security and police responded. The school was placed on lockdown. Officials have not released any information on the incident or if those in custody will face charges. Five of the 13 were not students.

No. 2 - More than 3,000 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Florida on Monday, the most in one day in the state since mid-October.

The 3,067 new cases reported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention mark the first time since Oct. 13 that the state has surpassed 3,000 in one day. Since the pandemic began last year, Florida has had a total of 3,720,146 reported cases. Despite the increase in cases, positivity rates in Florida remain low. The latest report from the Florida Department of Health issued Friday showed a 2.6% positivity rate over the previous week, a slight increase over the previous few weeks but far below the 20% positivity recorded during this summer's COVID surge.

No. 3 - After nearly 14 years in the job, Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho was officially chosen to be the next superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Carvalho made the announcement at a news conference last Thursday that he was leaving South Florida. The 57-year-old Carvalho has turned down similar offers before, including in 2018 when he agreed to take the job in New York City at the largest district in the country before later backing out and staying in South Florida. Carvalho has been Miami-Dade's superintendent since 2008, following a career as a teacher and later assistant principal. He oversaw federal programs and was the district's chief communication officer before becoming superintendent.

No. 4 - There was no discussion and no commentary. On the anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy, the Broward County School Board unanimously approved a $25 million dollar settlement with the victims of the Parkland massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

The two MSD victims on the school board, Lori Alhadeff and Debbi Hixon, recused themselves from the vote. Families of the victims who died will each receive around $1 million. Survivors who were wounded will receive lesser amounts, depending on the severity of their experiences. The board also approved a separate settlement with Anthony Borges, an MSD student who miraculously survived multiple gunshot wounds that day. 

No. 5 - Backers of a plan to renovate downtown Pompano Beach squared off Tuesday with residents who say they can't live through the traffic the project is causing.

Experts say about 175,000 cars pass every day in front of Pompano Beach City Hall. NBC 6 was the first to report about the shock from residents when the city reduced traffic lanes on busy Atlantic Boulevard, triggering what residents call intentional gridlock by the city. Residents say their already difficult daily commute became a nightmare. NBC 6 showed how the city had reduced the lanes east and westbound on Atlantic and its own studies showed residents were sitting in traffic longer. Click here for more in a report from NBC 6 investigator Willard Shepard you’ll see Only on 6.

No. 6 - Cars were already queued up Tuesday night ahead of CAMACOL's annual holiday food basket giveaway — but this year's event has been impacted by the recent supply chain issue.

The distribution begins at 7 a.m. Wednesday at the CAMACOL building at 1401 West Flagler Street. The baskets will be given out on a first-come, first-serve basis. Like last year, the event will be drive-thru only. Organizers said while they have been able to distribute thousands of baskets in the past, this year, they're only able to give away up to 500. Organizers recommend people arrive around 5 a.m. Families that do not have a car should carpool, and that no more than two family members should be in one car. Organizers may also ask for proof of address.

Contact Us