It’s Friday, December 10th - and NBC 6 has the top stories for the day.
No. 1 - The boyfriend of a pregnant woman who was beaten and abducted from a Miami-Dade home was arrested on murder and kidnapping charges after her body was found in a wooded area after a massive search, police said Thursday.
Xavier Johnson, 32 was charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping and armed burglary with assault or battery in the case involving 27-year-old Andreae Lloyd, Miami-Dade Police officials said. Police had been searching for Lloyd since early Tuesday and confirmed human remains were found Wednesday. The medical examiner identified the remains Thursday as Lloyd, officials said. Lloyd was a caretaker and had been working at a home at 13840 Southwest 285th Terrace when a man, later identified as Johnson, knocked on the door around 12:30 a.m. Tuesday and Lloyd answered it, police said. Johnson started beating Lloyd and dragged her before forcing her into a white Honda Civic and fleeing the scene, police said.
No. 2 - An Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University student from South Florida was arrested after plotting a campus shooting, police said.
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John Hagins, 19, was arrested Thursday and faces numerous charges in connection with the plot, Daytona Beach Police officials said. Police said Hagins laid out his plans for the shooting on social media, intending to bring a folding gun inside a backpack along with hundreds of rounds of ammunition to shoot up the campus on the final day before winter break. Fellow students tipped off authorities, who took Hagins into custody at his apartment, police said. In the apartment were the gun, ammunition and backpack, and it appeared Hagins sold his car to buy the weapon and ammo, police said.
No. 3 - After nearly 14 years in the job, Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho announced he's been chosen to be the next superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Carvalho made the announcement at a news conference Thursday. The Los Angeles Times was the first to report earlier Thursday that Carvalho emerged as the likely candidate for the job. Carvalho didn't say when exactly he'll be leaving and said he is entering into contract negotiations with officials in L.A. The 57-year-old Carvalho has turned down similar offers before, including in 2018 when he agreed to take the job in New York City at the largest district in the country before later backing out and staying in South Florida.
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No. 4 - Gov. Ron DeSantis wants to relaunch the Florida State Guard, a volunteer state defense force to support the Florida National Guard. In next year’s budget, he’ll push for $3.5 million to start a force of 200 service members.
Twenty-two other states have something similar, along with Puerto Rico. The key difference is the National Guard can be "federalized" to be directed by the President’s Department of Defense. A state guard would report only to the governor and his executive branch. The law authorizing a state guard in Florida already exists but has not been funded since the late 1940s. This also comes after U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned National Guard members may soon be banned from training and getting paid unless they are vaccinated against the COVID-19. DeSantis has fought against vaccine mandates. Click here to find out more in a report from NBC 6 investigator Phil Prazan.
No. 5 - While many businesses have struggled during the pandemic, some organizations have stepped up to help those in need. Comcast, which is the parent company of NBC 6, has offered thousands of dollars to minority owned businesses through their Comcast RISE grant initiative.
One of the lucky award recipients are the Verdugo brothers, who are pouring up good vibes and cider at Broski Ciderworks in Pompano Beach. David and Daniel Verdugo first started off brewing beer at home back in 2013, but then they stumbled upon the world of cider by accident. With David’s mathematical engineer background and Daniel’s distributor skills in the alcohol industry, their cidery dreams started to get off the ground. Click here for more in a story from NBC 6 reporter Amanda Plasencia.
No. 6 - Palm Beach County will soon get another area code, officials said.
The county, which has used the 561 area code for almost 25 years, will start using the new area code next summer. The Florida Public Service Commission cited a growing population and emerging technologies requiring new phone numbers in approving the plan on Tuesday, the Palm Beach Post reported. People who are already have 561 phone numbers will not be affected, officials said. New customers, or people getting additional phone lines, will receive the new area code. The code's three digits have yet to be announced. The new area code will have the same geographic boundaries as the 561 area code. Florida originally had just the 305 area code statewide. Now the state has 22 area codes.
