It’s Wednesday, June 8th - and NBC 6 has the top stories for the day.
No. 1 - Criticism comes with the territory for anyone who runs for a political office. That’s an essential part of democracy which generally, every politician accepts. Sometimes, however, the criticism goes over the line and becomes harassment.
As this school year enters its last week, NBC 6 spoke to several school board members, in both Miami-Dade and Broward, who said they’ve been harassed in person, on social media, and through emails and phone calls. They say it started with the mask mandate issues last fall when the Miami-Dade and Broward school boards voted to defy the governor and require facial coverings in school, and continued as the state legislature passed controversial laws which impacted education. Dr. Steve Gallon is one of those board members who say they’ve been on the receiving end of bullying from the public.
No. 2 - Portions of southwest Miami-Dade County that were drenched by weekend storms from what became Tropical Storm Alex are still dealing with flooding from storms that came across the area Monday and Tuesday.
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NBC 6 viewer Jorge Mario Gomez sent a video showing flooding Tuesday morning in Cutler Bay along Southwest 84th Avenue. South Florida Water Management District reports monitors at Black Point Marina in Homestead have received over 7.5 inches of rain in the last 24 hours as of 8 a.m. Tuesday. Homestead Air Reserve Base reported seven inches of rainfall while a monitor off Southwest 268th Street and Biscayne Bay reported over 6.5 inches of rainfall. Southwest 320th Street reported 6.34 inches while Leisure City reported 5.77 inches of rainfall.
No. 3 - Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine-Cava says the county is going above and beyond to support Ukrainians as Russia gains ground in Eastern Ukraine.
“We want to stand for the self-determination and liberty of all people,” Levine Cava said. “So we will continue to join the fight against Putin’s violent and unjust invasion of Ukraine.” The mayor, Senators Rene Garcia and Ana Maria Rodriguez, and Interim Director of the Miami-Dade Police Department George Perez held a press briefing Tuesday to announce the donation of 5,000 bulletproof vests to Ukraine. Local leaders say the vests are expired, come from a department surplus, and can no longer be used by MDPD officers. “It’s police-grade gear, including body armor and vests, to protect Ukrainian families’ homes and sovereignty,” Levine Cava said.
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No. 4 - An SUV crashed into a Liberty City church building after a Miami police officer attempted to stop the driver Tuesday morning.
When the driver of the white BMW SUV attempted to flee, the car crashed into a building owned by Mount Sinai Missionary Baptist Church at 7th Avenue and 46th Street at 11:20 a.m. No injuries have been reported, according to the City of Miami Police Department. The occupants of the BMW fled on foot, and at least one was armed with a handgun, MPD said. Miami police recovered three firearms and took three suspects into custody. Driver Davontae Bobby McCrae, passenger Berge Orozco, and passenger Ahman Trevon Lee all face charges of resisting an officer without violence and carrying a concealed firearm. McCrae faces additional charges of fleeing and eluding and leaving the scene of an accident, and Lee was also charged with third-degree grand theft of a firearm.
No. 5 - Firefighters worked to put out a fire Tuesday at a home in Fort Lauderdale.
Chopper 6 showed flames and dark smoke billowing from the rear of a home in the 1300 block of SW 23rd Avenue. t's unclear if there were any injuries or if anyone was inside the house at the time. The cause of the fire was unknown.
No. 6 - While many prefer to load up in a car and experience their vacations one mile and one pitstop at a time, the rapidly increasing price of fuel has become an obvious and seemingly unavoidable roadblock to these summer trips.
But maybe it doesn't have to be this way. For months, there has been a nationwide rise in the cost of gas — one that is not expected to relent in the near future. This increase has resulted in the disruption of many people's standard way of life, from how they travel to work to how they manage their finances. Though it may seem as if long-distance drives are undoubtedly out of the question amidst the price changes, there are many ways to plan the perfect summer road trip without breaking the bank.
