Here are some of the top stories from the past week from NBC 6 News:
Accusations of Sabotage Emerge in Miami Airport Escalator Contract Dispute
A group of Miami-Dade County Commissioners heard allegations of sabotage at Miami’s International Airport Tuesday afternoon during an ongoing dispute over government contracts between a union company and a non-union company.
Commissioners on the PortMiami and Environmental Resilience Committee referred the case to the Miami-Dade Police Department. Commissioners say the county state attorney and inspector general are already investigating allegations between the union company, Schindler, and the non-union company, Oracle.
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The stakes are a contract to operate and maintain county elevators and escalators at the seaport and airport worth tens of millions of dollars.
Schindler, whose employees are represented by the International Union of Elevator Constructors, has the remaining $44 million contract with the county. They took the company over after county Mayor Daniella Levine Cava terminated the contract with non-union company Oracle over safety complaints the company disputes.
For the full story, click here.
Local
The Versace Killing: The Murder and the Mansion 25 Years Later
Friday marks 25 years since one of the most infamous crimes in the history of South Florida: the murder of world-renowned fashion designer Gianni Versace.
Though Versace was known globally for his fashion designs, he was also known locally for his iconic mansion on Ocean Drive. It was on the steps of that very mansion where Versace was gunned down by a serial killer, setting off a massive manhunt throughout South Florida.
Versace, 50, was fatally shot by a man named Andrew Cunanan, 27, who was already the target of a nationwide manhunt by the FBI for killing at least four other men across the country.
Richard Barreto, Miami Beach's police chief at the time of the murder, says the department was criticized for an issue that occurred just days before Versace's murder.
For the full story, click here.
More Sharks Equals Healthier Ocean, Expert Says
Everyone knows there are sharks in South Florida waters.
That’s a good thing, says Florida International University professor Dr. Yannis Papastamatiou, who studies sharks all over the world.
“Healthy oceans should have sharks in them, so when you go places and there are no sharks, for the most part, that’s a sign that these animals have been overfished, it’s not what we want,” Papastamatiou explained. “I tell people not to worry about sharks, now obviously any time you go in the water, there is a chance you could be bitten, but it’s extremely low. There’s also a chance you could drown, so you’re never going to have 100% safety in the ocean.”
For the full story, click here.
How to Watch the Parkland Gunman's Death Penalty Trial
More than four years after the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, confessed shooter Nikolas Cruz will stand trial in the penalty phase to determine whether he will be given a death sentence or life in prison without parole.
Cruz, now 23, killed 14 students and 3 staff members at Stoneman Douglas on Feb. 14, 2018. Nine months ago, he entered guilty pleas to 17 counts of first-degree murder and 17 more attempted murder counts.
Opening statements are expected to begin Monday, July 18, at 9:00 a.m. and will be carried live on air on NBC 6.
NBC 6 digital will carry live coverage of the opening statements and the trial in its entirety on all its platforms, NBC6.com, the NBC 6 app and mobile web. Live coverage can also be seen by downloading the NBC 6 app on Roku, Amazon Fire, and Apple TV.
For the full story, click here.
Broward Woman Says She Lost Over $18K in SIM Swap Scam
A woman who lives in Broward County says a scammer drained thousands from her crypto and bank accounts.
It’s a scam Yva Horrobin said started from her cellphone. On what seemed like a normal day at work in late November, she noticed her cellphone did not have signal.
“I wasn’t able to make any phone calls. I wasn’t receiving any phone calls. I could not send out any text messages, I could not call my phone carrier,” Horrobin said.
She used a Wi-Fi signal to check her email, and that’s when she found notifications from her bank warning of unauthorized activity.
For the full story, click here.
Inflation Could Mean Higher Energy Bills. Here's How to Save
With inflation and summer temperatures on the rise, you may be paying more on your energy bill.
“Gas prices are affecting everything. Energy prices are affecting all the other prices in the economy,” FIU Associate Professor Mihaela Pintea said.
Energy costs are up 7.5% since last month and up roughly 40% from a year ago, according to the Consumer Price Index.
“We’ve had to increase our fuel charges, we do not make a profit on fuel. We pass those charges onto our customers,” said Dwayne Acosta, a senior energy residential representative with Florida Power & Light.
For the full story, click here.
