Here are some of the top stories from the past week from NBC 6 News:
Gabby Petito's Death Highlights Cold Case Mysteries at National Parks
The Gabby Petito case is the latest in a long line of mysterious deaths, disappearances and murders that have occurred in national parks around the United States.
The body of Petito, 22, was discovered at the edge of Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming over the weekend. Investigators have not said how she died but a medical examiner on Tuesday ruled the manner of death a homicide. Authorities have identified her fiancé Brian Laundrie, who was reported missing by his parents in Florida, as a person of interest in the case.
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The young couple had set out in July in a converted van headed west to Oregon. They planned to visit several national parks along the way -- just two of the tens of millions of travelers who visit the country's 63 national parks each year.
While most park visits are danger-free, according to a dashboard from the National Park Service that analyzed deaths in parks from 2014 to 2016, there were about 6 deaths per week in the national parks, or an average of 330 deaths per year. The park mortality rate is about one death for every million visitors.
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Florida Starts Process of Applying for Federal Food Aid Program
Jennifer Desa is a teacher, and her husband is a paramedic.
“Neither of us lost our jobs,” she said. “We were very lucky.”
Still, she said her husband did see reduced hours during the pandemic. So the money her family received during the last school year under the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer Program, or PEBT, made a big difference.
“It was a huge help for groceries,” she said.
Under PEBT, money families can use to help buy groceries is loaded onto EBT cards for children who qualify for the federal program, which includes children who would normally receive free or reduced meals at school.
Politifact: What Are the Odds of a Breakthrough Infection?
Ample evidence shows that the COVID-19 vaccines dramatically reduce the risk of serious illness, but stories about breakthrough infections continue to spark fear among people who are vaccinated — and resistance among those who aren’t.
President Joe Biden tried to put those fears in perspective by citing a noteworthy statistic in a Sept. 9 speech.
"Recent data indicates there’s only one confirmed positive case per 5,000 fully vaccinated Americans per day," he said.
Throughout the pandemic, experts have stressed the difficulty of determining the exact number of vaccinated people who contract COVID-19. We wanted to understand where the figure came from, how it was calculated, and what it can tell us about the prevalence of breakthroughs. Parsing the data on breakthroughs.
Job Seekers Turn to TikTok, But Experts Warn There Could Be a Downside
When you’re trying to land a new job — what’s the most creative way you’ve tried to stand out in a sea of applicants? While most companies and recruiters still suggest you have a one sheet resume, some job seekers are turning to TikTok, which is changing the job hunt.
In July, the company launched a pilot program called TikTok Resumes, designed to help connect users with companies who are hiring.
“This can be a more natural way for especially younger people to present themselves," CNET culture reporter, Abrar Al-Heeti told NBC affiliate KXAS-TV . "They're not just in a suit and sitting across the table from someone or presenting just like a blank, boring piece of paper to somebody. They are presenting themselves. They're being authentic. So, a lot of them feel very comfortable and TikTok -- it's a way to kind of really get to know somebody for who they are and it's a way for companies to discover new talent as well.”
Al-Heeti believes TikTok is just another outlet to get noticed.
South Miami Gym Owner Says He's Being Unfairly Targeted Over Noise Complaints
Neighbors in a South Miami neighborhood said they are fed up with the ruckus coming from a nearby gym, but the gym owner says he’s being unfairly targeted.
Gabriel Verona showed NBC 6 the dozens of citations that have been piling up from the city of South Miami.
He has 77 of them to be exact. He’s accused of violating the city’s noise ordinance.
On the citation, under "facts constituting reasonable cause," it says, “sound emanating from structure at 6600 SW 62nd, South Miami, FL on date and time cited above could be heard from outside the property line.”
That address is where he runs his business, Stunna’s Gym - a boot camp and personal training facility. He’s been there since 2017. Despite complaints early on from a handful of neighbors, Verona said initially he was not in violation.
Parents Arrested After Fight Caught on Camera in Doral Neighborhood
Two parents are facing battery charges after they were caught on cellphone video getting into a fight with a grandmother and her grandson Tuesday near a school in Doral.
The fight happened in a neighborhood outside of Dr. Rolando Espinosa K-8 Center. Natalie Laboy, 33, faces a charge of aggravated battery on a person 65 years or older, and Michael Laboy, 35, faces charges of aggravated battery and misdemeanor battery.
Cellphone video shows a student wearing a jersey, throwing punch after punch while another student victim is already on the ground.
The student continues to kick the victim, who is screaming, "get off me." An adult is also heard screaming to punch him, and another is heard saying to get off her son.
According to police, the victim said he was walking to his grandmother’s car when another student attacked and tackled him to the ground.
