Here are some of the top stories from the past week from NBC 6 News:
Juneteenth Events Across South Florida
Several events are being held around South Florida to celebrate Juneteenth, an annual celebration that commemorates the ending of slavery in the United States.
June 19th, also known as Juneteenth, Black Independence Day or African American Emancipation Day, has its origins in Galveston, Texas, when enslaved African Americans were informed that the Civil War had ended.
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The announcement, delivered by Union General Gordon Granger on June 15th, 1865, secured the freedom of enslaved Black Americans. It came about two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued by President Abraham Lincoln.
Couple Fined For Displaying Pride Flag in Oakland Park Neighborhood
Local
A pride flag representing the LGBTQ+ community that is the the size of a sheet of paper is the source of a standoff in an Oakland Park neighborhood.
Bob Plominski and Mike Ferrari say they are facing steep fines for displaying the flag in the front yard of their home. The Eastland Cove HOA issued a citation telling them to take it down or pay.
“I got upset. We’ve done this before and it’s a simple showing of our pride to the community and it’s up for 30 days," Plominski told NBC 6. "We were in shock they were going to do that.”
The HOA sent the violation notice on June 5th after a complaint came in. The notice said the remove the flag by June 15th or face a $50 daily fine.
‘It's a Blessing': Miami Family Wins City's Home Preservation Lottery
The members of the Moyse family were appreciative when they heard about the home improvements coming their way.
“It’s not only a surprise, it’s a blessing,” said Diane Moyse.
The Moyse family found out early Monday that they topped on the lottery list for the City of Miami’s push to shore up people’s homes, especially as hurricane season ramps up.
The Homeownership Preservation Program will provide up to $70,000 in assistance to qualified, low-income homeowners.
Open Congressional Seat Stresses Service Academy Candidates
When former Congressman Alcee Hastings passed away this spring, his district lost representation in Congress, backing up many routine services for his constituents.
A key Congressional function is nominating candidates to military academies.
Hastings represented Florida’s 20th Congressional District, which scoops up parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties.
Gov. Ron DeSantis set the special election to replace him for Jan. 11, 2022, nearly nine months after Hastings’ death. The democratic primary is in November.
The wait is making some teenagers hoping to serve their country sweat as it dramatically shortens the process to nominate candidates to the academies.
Study Shows 96% of Doctors Have Been Vaccinated for Covid
Remember the long lines to get the COVID-19 vaccine? When the vaccines first became available to the public, demand overwhelmed the supply. Now, demand has virtually disappeared, and doctors are trying to persuade patients to get vaccinated.
They might have a new tool to help them convince people to roll up their sleeves: a new study by the American Medical Association shows more than 96% of physicians have been vaccinated. The study surveyed 300 physicians nationwide, in a wide variety of specialties.
"There’s no reason a physician would go and get vaccinated if they didn’t think that it was gonna help protect them,” said Dr. Marc Napp, the chief medical officer of the Memorial Health Care System.
Dr. Napp said the survey shows the public that if doctors are willing to get vaccinated, the bizarre conspiracies out there about the vaccines are simply not true.
Why Your Smart Phone May Be Tracking Your Activity to Cater Ads
If you’ve noticed some new pop-ups on your iPhone lately when opening your apps, there’s a reason for that!
“Apple and Google have changed the way of sharing information and are now requiring anyone using an IOS system to ask you permission to track you,” said Craig Agranoff, a South Florida technology expert.
Late last year, Apple CEO Tim Cook sent out a Tweet about the changes we’re seeing, saying in part: “We believe users should have the choice over the data that is being collected about them and how it’s used.”
That now applies to any app that tracks your location and online activity, from social media to mapping, shopping and banking apps.
