It’s Friday, June 5th - and NBC 6 has the top stories you need to know for the day.
No. 1 - Weatherwise, a flood watch has been extended into the weekend for South Florida with more wet weather arriving Friday afternoon and into Saturday and Sunday. Keep your NBC 6 app handy for push alerts on any severe weather as well as First Alert Doppler 6000.
No. 2 - Miami-Dade police are investigating the arrest Sunday of a 23-year-old protester who says his forceful take-down caught on tape was the kind of police violence he was in Miami to protest.
Mayor Carlos Gimenez and police director Alfredo Ramirez both said there was more to the story than what the video showed, but the department will not release what Gimenez called those "other circumstances" until after a review of the officer's use of force is completed by supervisors. One piece of evidence they will not have for that review: audio and video from body cams worn by at least two officers; the one who took 23-year-old Ariel Alfaro down, and his colleague, who Alfaro said showed disrespect to the protests by hooting and saying, "ain't this fun?"
No. 3 - Florida saw a big jump in its tally of positive coronavirus cases for a second day in a row Thursday, with a total of 2,736 new cases being reported in the last 48 hours.
The state's total number of confirmed coronavirus cases increased by more than 1,400 Thursday, as 41 new virus-related deaths were reported. With 1,419 new COVID-19 cases, the state's total rose to 60,183, according to figures released by the Florida Department of Health. On Wednesday, 1,317 new cases had been added.
No. 4 - A racist rant posted on Instagram from a Community Health of South Florida worker has gone viral.
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The worker, who has been fired, uses the “N-word” and other profanity to describe African Americans. Community Health of South Florida posted an apology on Instagram, stating in part, “We do not tolerate any form of hate or discrimination.” Employment attorney Brian Lerner says whether you work for a private company or the government, what you post online can get you fired. For more on what you need to know, click on this link for a report from NBC 6 reporter Kim Wynne.
No. 5 - On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Labor released statistics showing that 31,083 more claims were filed the week ending May 30th than the previous week.
Three months after the pandemic first started, more than 200,000 people are still waiting for benefits, according to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. Hundreds of people have reached out to NBC 6 Responds for help. Click here to see how one woman’s persistence finally paid off in a report from NBC 6 consumer investigator Sasha Jones.
No. 6 - Someone forged the will of the missing husband of Carole Baskin, a woman prominently featured in Netflix’s “Tiger King" documentary series, a Florida sheriff said.
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister told local media that two experts had confirmed the will of Jack “Don” Lewis is a forgery. Lewis disappeared in 1997 and was declared dead in 2002. The millionaire's will left most of his estate, including a private Tampa zoo that would eventually become Big Cat Rescue animal sanctuary, to Baskin, cutting out his children from a previous marriage. Criminal charges aren't expected because the statute of limitations has expired, Chronister said.
