Here are some of the top stories from the last week from NBC 6 News:
Broward Teachers Return as Union Feud With District Escalates
Time’s up for about 1,100 Broward County Public Schools teachers who had been working from home. These are teachers who had been given special accommodations because of health concerns. All of them were scheduled to report to their classrooms Monday as the district says they are needed in schools.
The school district had granted accommodations to 1,700 teachers in October, and gave extensions to more than 600 who have the most severe health issues.
The Broward Teachers Union filed suit against the district last week, demanding that the teachers who received accommodations be allowed to teach from home for the entire school year. The district says all of those teachers knew their status could change on January 8th.
South Florida Reps. Split Along Party Lines on Trump Impeachment Vote
Local
The eight members of the United States House of Representatives representing South Florida districts voted along party lines in President Donald Trump's second impeachment.
Trump was impeached Wednesday over the assault on the U.S. Capitol, making him the first president to be impeached twice. The vote came just a week after he encouraged loyalists to “fight like hell” against election results and then a mob of his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.
South Florida's three GOP members - Reps. Carlos Gimenez, Mario Diaz-Balart and the newly sworn-in Maria Elvira Salazar - all voted against impeachment. At the same time, the five Democratic members of the House from South Florida - Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Frederica Wilson, Alcee Hastings and Ted Deutch - voted for the impeachment.
Manatee With ‘Trump' Etched Onto Back Found in Florida
Federal authorities are investigating after a manatee with the word "Trump" etched onto its back was found in Florida.
The discovery was made Sunday in the Homosassa River north of Tampa, the Citrus County Chronicle reported.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is investigating the incident, the paper reported.
DeVonta's Day: Smith Leads Alabama to National Title Inside Hard Rock Stadium
If there was any question who the most important player was for Monday's College Football Playoff title game, it was answered long before the virtual bands took to the scoreboards inside Hard Rock Stadium.
Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith caught three touchdown passes in the first half alone - part of four total touchdown passes in the first half from quarterback Mac Jones - as the Crimson Tide blew past Ohio State 52-24 for their first national championship since 2017.
Smith, who was named the offensive player of the game, caught 12 passes for 215 yards in the first half alone - giving Miami Dolphins fans dreams of him being available with the third overall pick in April's NFL Draft - before leaving in the third quarter with a hand injury.
‘Do You Need Help?' Central Florida Waitress Credited With Helping Boy After Noticing Bruises
A Florida waitress who noticed bruises on an 11-year-old boy flashed him a handwritten note asking him if he needed help, and when he nodded yes, she called the police, authorities said.
Orlando police credited Flaviane Carvalho, a waitress at Mrs. Potato Restaurant, with coming to the boy's aid on New Year's Eve when the child’s parents weren’t looking.
The boy told detectives that he had been tied by his ankles and neck and hung upside down from a door in his home. He also told detectives that his stepfather beat him with a wooden broom, a back scratcher and closed fists, and that he’d been handcuffed and tied to a large moving dolly, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
