This week, a major cryptocurrency company will open its headquarters in Miami. And as NBC 6’s Ryan Nelson will tell us — it’s an intriguing new prospect that could open the door to plenty of possibilities.
Here are some of the top stories you may have missed from the past week on NBC 6 News.
Miami Coin, Crypto Investors, and Virtual Land: Miami's Rise to Tech Epicenter
Cryptocurrency investment firm Orca Capital unveiled its brand new world headquarters in Brickell on Friday.
Jeff Sekinger moved his company to Miami from San Diego about ten months ago.
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Sekinger, 27, is the founder and CEO of Orca as well as financial consulting company 0 Percent.
“We just hired, like, 50 people in the last ten days,” said Sekinger. “We’ve been hiring quite a lot here.”
He says Miami’s pro-crypto policies, coupled with fewer regulations in the state, have created a promising environment for tech companies to flourish.
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Read the full story here.
Vulnerable Patients at Broward Children's Center Can't Leave Because of Unvaccinated, Unmasked
Florida just passed a grim number. 50,000 people have died from the coronavirus, according to the Florida Department of Health. It shows the pandemic is still spreading throughout South Florida and can impact the most vulnerable among us.
That has children and residents at Broward Children’s Center in a tough spot. The non-profit has a 36-bed pediatric nursing home and a group home for 25 young adults who are medically fragile or immunocompromised -- and unable to get vaccinated.
Click here to read the full story.
Florida Mother Reunited With Abducted Daughter 14 Years After Kidnapping
More than a decade after a 6-year-old girl was kidnapped in Florida, the abducted daughter and her mother were reunited in a stunning conclusion of the 2007 cold case.
Jacqueline Hernandez was allegedly abducted by her father, Pablo Hernandez, on Dec. 22, 2007. A felony warrant for kidnapping was issued to Pablo on that date in Clermont, Fla.
Fourteen years later, Jacqueline Hernandez reached out to mother Angelica Vences-Salgado via Facebook, the Clermont Police Department Detective Division said. The pair were soon reunited with the help of various Florida police departments.
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FIU Climbs 17 Spots on US News & World's Ranking of Top Public Universities
Florida International University jumped 17 spots — now ranking number 78 — among top public universities in the nation on the U.S. News and World Report rankings.
The school also ranked No. 2 for international business, as well as highly as a school for veterans, and No. 5 for upward mobility.
The University of Florida also broke into the prestigious top five rankings for public universities, tying with UNC-Chapel Hill and UC Santa Barbara.
"I'm just proud of our state. I think we're doing a lot of stuff across the board," Gov. Ron DeSantis said in Gainesville Monday. "But to have a top five university really makes a difference."
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UM Doctor Debunks Nicki Minaj Tweet Suggesting Vaccines Could Cause Swollen Testicles
Days after rapper Nicki Minaj tweeted that the COVID-19 vaccine caused a family friend to develop swollen testicles, a University of Miami doctor and the health minister of Trinidad and Tobago are debunking the claim.
Minaj tweeted Monday that her cousin in Trinidad refused to get the vaccine because his friend “became impotent” and his "testicles became swollen" after getting inoculated.
But Dr. Ranjith Ramasamy, associate professor of urology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, says there is no evidence that vaccines cause erectile dysfunction or fertility issues. Other experts attest that whatever Minaj's cousin was suffering from weren’t known side effects of the COVID-19 shots.
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Homestead-Miami Speedway Returns to Playoff Position on 2022 NASCAR Schedule
South Florida’s annual weekend of auto racing will be returning to a more familiar place on the schedule in 2022 – and its familiar television partner.
NASCAR’s Dixie Vodka 400 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway will take place October 23rd, 2022 and will be part of the sport’s Round of 8 playoffs. The winner of the race will automatically qualify for the sport’s Championship Weekend, which will be held in Phoenix for the third straight season.
“We can’t wait for October of 2022, taking us back to our storied past in the NASCAR Cup Series,” Homestead-Miami Speedway President Al Garcia. “We are excited to welcome fans back to our community during the fall, which is so nice in South Florida. We can’t wait for their return, and we will have the greatest 1.5-mile venue ready for them.”
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