It’s Thursday, February 27th – and NBC 6 has the top stories you need to know for the day.
No. 1 – Weatherwise, temperatures have dropped Thursday morning from the first part of the week - but that's only the beginning thanks to the arrival of our latest cold front. Keep your NBC 6 app handy for push alerts on any severe weather as well as First Alert Doppler 6000.
No. 2 – As the Coronavirus concerns spread through parts of Asia and Europe, concerns are growing right here in Florida about a possible outbreak in our area.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention raised concerns of a possible pandemic outbreak in the U.S. for the coronavirus, which has infected over 80,000 people and killed at least 2,700 across the globe. According to the agency, only 14 cases of the disease have been confirmed in the U.S. - none of which were in Florida. However, they are asking the public to prepare.
No. 3 - City commissioners approved a measure Wednesday for an earlier "last call" time for Miami Beach during spring break.
The measure would roll back liquor sales to 3 a.m. for six days from March 13 to March 19 in the entertainment district and portions of the commercial district, including Washington Avenue. The move aims to curb issues with the thousands of college spring breakers expected to flock to the city.
No. 4 - Surveillance video released on Wednesday shows the moments after four teens allegedly set fire to a historic train station in Delray Beach, destroying it and leading to their arrest.
Local
The video, recorded at a nearby gas station, showed the teens running into a bathroom minutes after the fire started before all of them leave the scene about 20 minutes later. NBC affiliate WPTV-TV reports the teens are between the ages of 15 and 17 and attend Atlantic High School in the city, with one of the teens caught on camera wearing his ROTC uniform.
No. 5 - Gas stations, convenience stores and vape shops - vaping products that contain nicotine are being sold at all of them.
But in Florida, you have to be at least 18 to buy these vaping products. State lawmakers are considering raising the age limit to 21 to match federal law. When the NBC 6 Investigators sent young-looking staffers to stores selling them, we found some didn’t verify their age. Click here to see the story from anchor Alina Machado.
No. 6 – The wildfires that broke out in Australia didn’t just destroy land – it also did major damage to the Great Barrier Reef in the northeastern part of the continent that now has officials worried about its survival.
NBC 6’s Angie Lassman went to Australia to cover the devastation from the fires. Click here to see her latest in a five part series on the recovery efforts and the lessons learned for the state of Florida and our own reefs.
