“He was a very personable person, very outgoing,” Christina said. 

On Saturday, Demoy was shot and killed in what police say was a shooting caused by road rage.

“Just because you’re upset, just because you didn’t like what someone did on the road doesn’t give you the right to take their life,” she said.

Investigators say around 5 p.m., officers got called to a shooting on NW 175th Street and NW 22nd Avenue in Miami Gardens. 

Police say when officers got there, they found Demoy shot near his car. He was rushed to the hospital, where he later died. 

Surveillance video shows the two cars turning onto NW 175th Street and driving closely together. Demoy was in a silver car. 

Police say the suspect stayed on scene and was brought in for questioning and charges are pending. 

The family has created a GoFundMe page.

The city has no authority when it comes to abortion laws, but despite this, it was a topic of discussion at Tuesday’s council meeting. The council’s agenda read, “the City of Hialeah will be communicating its opposition to Amendment Four, a proposed Florida Constitutional Amendment concerning abortion.”

“I think there is a lot of local representatives that have connections with our voters and they like to understand what our point of view is, where we stand on matters,” said Councilwoman Monica Perez, one of the sponsors of the item.

NBC6 political analyst Sean Foreman called it a waste of time.

“This is just another example of the hyper-partisanship that we have in politics these days,” he said. “There is no reason for city officials to go on the record when it comes to abortion policy because cities don’t have any role in the law in the state.”

Decision 2024 Sep 18

Florida to decide on abortion protections, could end 6-week ban in Amendment 4

Abortion Sep 12

Lawsuit targets state website advocating against abortion ballot initiative

Amendment 4 will ask voters whether or not Florida should protect the right to an abortion.

The summary on the ballot reads: “No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider. This amendment does not change the Legislature’s constitutional authority to require notification to a parent or guardian before a minor has an abortion.”

It would end the six-week ban on abortion currently in place.

The Yes on 4 campaign, in favor of abortion rights, is adamant about no government, at any level, having a say on abortion rights.

“Our position about any type of distraction like this is just to ignore it and keep on focusing on what we have to do, which is educate the community on Amendment 4 and they need to say yes, and to vote yes,” said Lisa Zayas of the Yes on 4 campaign.

Over the years, there have been several fish kills and reports of plumes of potential chemicals leaking into the bay, mainly as the result of booming construction in South Florida.

On Tuesday, North Bay Village Mayor Brent Latham hosted the Coastal Mayors of Biscayne Bay breakfast meeting to discuss ideas and policies recently implemented to mitigate pollution in the bay.

“If we look out behind us, we can see something like 13 municipalities. So, we all influence the water quality because the water that is in the bay is coming from all of those places,” said Latham.

Loren Parra, Miami Dade’s Chief Bay and Water Resources Officer, told NBC6 the health of the bay is “in decline.” She noted that resilience efforts have decreased over the last 5 to 10 years.

Parra said they are trying to turn that trend around by implementing new legislation like the Impervious Surfaces Ordinance which aims to filter rainwater through green spaces before it is released into the bay.

“The necessary storage, the necessary green space for us to take in increased rainfall, store it, clean it and make sure it’s in much better shape before it goes out to Biscayne Bay,” said Parra.

Key Biscayne’s mayor was also in attendance, briefing others on the efforts of the village to mitigate pollution from entering Biscayne Bay.

Mayor Joe Rasco noted that the village is down to just two septic tanks, after converting 750 buildings to sewer.

With a more optimistic outlook on the health of Biscayne Bay’s, FIU Associate Professor Tom Frankovich said it is “improving.”

“We are very fortunate to have good exchange with the Atlantic Ocean,” said Frankovich. “We’re pretty resilient to a lot of the impacts that we throw on the system.”

The marine ecology professor also noted that recent fish kills haven’t been as large or severe. A sign that conditions may be improving. He added that more work is needed in the canals that feed into the bay.

Prosecutors say Alex Rodriguez was a ghost candidate who helped sway a Miami-area legislative race back in 2020. They claim Artiles messaged him on social media and eventually offered him $50,000 to run for office. 

Defense attorneys admitted Rodriguez was a ghost candidate, but added how that isn’t a crime in Florida.

However, Artiles is facing a list of charges for allegedly breaking state election laws because of the money the defendant paid the candidate.

The ghost candidate, who shared a last name as incumbent Democratic Sen. Jose Javier Rodriguez, got more than 6,000 votes. 

Rodriguez, the sitting senator, lost the election and his seat to Republican candidate Ileana Garcia by 32 votes.

'Ghost candidate' coverage

Crime and Courts Sep 23

‘Because of your lies': Ex-Sen. Frank Artiles' attorneys try to discredit ghost candidate

Crime and Courts Sep 20

‘I needed the money': ‘Ghost candidate' says he was offered $50k to run for office

Before and after the election, Rodriguez told jurors on Tuesday that Artiles gave him thousands of dollars. At one point, he paid for Rodriguez’s daughter’s tuition. After the election, Rodriguez stated the defendant also gave him money to lawyer up and “protect himself.”

“You didn’t use any of that money for any campaign stuff, correct? You just paid a lawyer,” asked Frank Quintero, defense attorney representing Artiles.

“No sir, no campaign stuff,” Rodriguez said.

The defense calls the money Artiles gave Rodriguez as “business transactions” or “loans,” but prosecutors hope jurors consider them campaign contributions and convict the former lawmaker.

“Did you consider the payments and the loans that he made to you as a pretext for money he had promised you for being a candidate?” asked Timothy VanderGiesen, an Assistant State Attorney.

“Yes, that’s exactly right,” Rodriguez answered.

For the past three days, attorneys have spent countless hours questioning Rodriguez, an indicator of just how critical his testimony is for the jury to reach a verdict.

Jurors were also allowed to submit questions for the key witness and Judge Miguel M de la O read them out loud with the attorneys’ approval.

“Why did Rodriguez repeatedly ask the defendant for money?” Judge de la O asked on behalf of jurors.

“Because I had a need. It was the only reason I ran or the only reason I agreed to do this because I had a need for the money,” Rodriguez replied.

Another question jurors submitted to the court was about a meeting the defendant and the candidate had in the parking lot of a Citi National Bank. Records show they both met to open a campaign bank account.

“What funds were used to open the account at Citi National and who provided them?” Judge de la O asked on behalf of jurors.

 “The 2,000 we used to open the account, Mr. Artiles gave them to me in the parking lot,” Rodriguez answered.

Ignacio Antonio Amador, 34, also known as Antonio Balle, was arrested Monday on charges of attempted felony murder and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, records showed.

According to an arrest report, Amador and the victim have been in a relationship for seven years and have a child in common who lives in Nicaragua.

On Sunday morning, officers responded to reports of a woman stabbed in the neck at a home on Northwest 1st Place and found the woman with several stab wounds in her body and neck area.

She was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center where doctors found she had a blade lodged in her neck and was stabbed six times on her body, which caused a punctured lung, the report said.

A witness said they heard the woman screaming and saw the boyfriend covered in blood, then saw the victim who was asking for help while lying in bed covered in blood, the report said.

The witness told Amador he was going to pay for what he did and he replied “I found her with another guy yesterday,” the report said.

The witness saw the blade lodged in the victim’s neck, the report said.

Amador was found by the domestic violence apprehension team on Monday and taken into custody before he was booked into jail.

He appeared in court Tuesday where he was ordered held without bond and appointed a public defender.

The route, dubbed the Floridian, has intermediate stops in Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh and Cleveland.

Today, we’re proud to announce the launch of the Floridian!

This train combines two iconic routes — the Capitol Limited and Silver Star — and will offer traditional dining throughout the full journey. pic.twitter.com/XZbtfUptJq

— Amtrak (@Amtrak) September 23, 2024

The train will make its inaugural trip on Sunday, Nov. 10, and tickets are available for purchase now.

But the route won’t be around forever. 

“Amtrak is temporarily combining the Capitol Limited and Silver Star trains to create the Floridian due to the upcoming East River Tunnel Rehabilitation Project in New York,” the company explained in a news release. 

“This move will free up badly needed equipment while taking pressure off Northeast Corridor infrastructure during the renovation of the ERT Project,” said Jim Mathews, President & CEO of the Rail Passengers Association. “Rail Passengers applauds Amtrak for this innovative solution to keeping passengers moving during critical state of good repair work. We believe riders will flock to this new service.”

The ride from Miami to Chicago takes about 50 hours, and ticket prices vary depending on the fare type.

“The Floridian (Trains 40 & 41) will operate on a similar schedule and make the current stops of the Capitol Limited (Trains 29 & 30) between Chicago and Washington, D.C., and the Silver Star (Trains 91 & 92) between Miami and Washington, D.C.,” Amtrak described. “The Silver Meteor (Trains 97 & 98) continues to operate daily between New York and Miami.”

Voters in 2020 approved the constitutional amendment, which was spearheaded by prominent Orlando lawyer John Morgan.

The minimum wage went to $10 an hour on Sept. 30, 2021, $11 on Sept. 30, 2022, and $12 an hour on Sept. 30, 2023.

It is required to increase by $1 each year until it hits $15 an hour on Sept. 30, 2026. After that, it will increase based on inflation.

The minimum wage for tipped employees will go to $9.98 an hour Monday, an increase of $1. The federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour.

The Rattlers rescheduled the game for Friday, Nov. 29, in anticipation of Helene strengthening into a major hurricane Wednesday while moving north toward the United States. Several models have Helene making landfall just south of Tallahassee.

FAMU announced classes would be canceled beginning Tuesday at 12:15 p.m. through Friday, Sept. 27.  The University will be closed Wednesday through Friday.

Florida State, meanwhile, might need to adjust its travel schedule before playing at SMU on Saturday.

“We’re continuing to track that. There’s still a lot of information (to come),” Seminoles coach Mike Norvell said Tuesday. “Today is a big day for gaining more information of what could be our reality. I feel good about the plans that we have. I feel good about any potential adjustments, if necessary. But it’s something that we’re absolutely tracking.”

Florida State University officials said FSU’s Tallahassee campus will close on Sept. 25, at 7 a.m. ET, until 11 p.m. ET Sunday, Sept. 29, due to Helene. FSU expects to resume normal business operations at 12 a.m. Monday, Sept. 30.

Tallahassee State College announced they would cancel classes and close all campuses starting on Wednesday, Sept. 25, through Friday, Sept. 27 because of Helene.

Helene formed into a tropical storm Tuesday in the Caribbean Sea. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency Monday in dozens of counties ahead of its arrival and expanded it on Tuesday.

Helene was forecast to move into the Gulf of Mexico and possibly reach major hurricane status before an expected landfall in or near Florida’s Big Bend region.

The victim was shot in the 2500 block of Northwest 161st Street, after he and his uncle got into an argument, according to Miami Gardens police.

At some point “guns were produced, and the subject fired his weapon,” police said.

The suspect remained at the scene and was taken into custody for questioning, authorities said.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue flew the victim to a nearby hospital.

The identities of the men involved have not been released.

NBC6 is working to learn more.

A man dressed as a clown was seen on the walkway over the Palmetto near Southwest 40th Street holding what appeared to be a large, black object – possibly a weapon, according to police.

Total Traffic also shared a video of the clown running from the walkway and officers later arriving to the scene. Police said the person was not located.

Miami-Dade Police believe he was last seen in the area of Westchester, near Southwest 35th Street and 76th Avenue.

If you have any information that might help investigators, call Miami-Dade Police.

A Miami Beach officer said he went into “dad mode” when he found a 2-year-old girl wandering alone in a building on Ocean Drive while her parents were allegedly out partying.

A picture captured the moment Officer Brandon Miller, of the Miami Beach Police Department, comforted the toddler he found screaming and searching for her parents at around 3 a.m. on Sept. 10.

“The little girl was just in her pamper and swimsuit top, completely soaked when we found her,” Miller said. “The person we received the call from actually works security across from the building and he said he could just hear her screaming, screaming, ‘Mama, papa.'”

Police body camera footage released Tuesday showed Miller and other officers responding to the building where the girl was found.

“Where’s mommy?” the officers ask the girl in the footage. “You’re ok, we’re here to help you, ok?”

At one point, Miller picks the girl up in his arms as officers begin searching the complex for the girl’s family.

“You alright?” he asks before the girl gives him a high-five.

Police said the couple was out clubbing and left the 2-year-old, as well as her 12, 11 and 5-year-old brothers alone, sleeping in the apartment they rented, for over four hours.

All four children were taken to the Department of Children and Families. The parents were arrested and then appeared in court, charged with child neglect.

Lentz and Hurd insisted they are good parents, saying the 12-year-old was supposed to be awake watching the younger three. They called this a horror story and a tragic mistake.

“It was a small, tragic mistake that I’m really hurt about and I don’t know what to do,” Lentz said. “We’ve been doing a lot of crying, a lot of crying, every time we see pictures we cry.”

While police searched for her parents, Miller comforted the toddler.

“I have a 2 and a 3-year-old at home and I guess I went into dad mode. I saw her, I thought about my son. I thought about my daughter,” he said.

Lentz and Hurd are desperate to get their children back.

“We are really good parents, we are good people, we don’t leave our children, this is not a regular thing for us,” Hurd said.

The judge said both parents are allowed to see their children while they’re in DCF custody. The couple is expected back in court in next month.

“I understand you want to come to Miami Beach on vacation, you want to have fun, but if you have your kids, obviously they take priority,” Miller said.

Other measures include creating a license plate for Parrot Heads living the life of the late singer Jimmy Buffett and requirements about flood disclosures for home buyers.

In all, 34 laws that passed during the 2024 legislative session will take effect, with the homeless changes (HB 1365) drawing the most attention.

“Florida has chosen to reject comfortable inaction and tackle this problem head on,” House bill sponsor Sam Garrison, R-Fleming Island, said in June after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of an Oregon city’s ordinance cracking down on public camping.

The new Florida law bars local governments from allowing people to sleep at places such as public buildings and in public rights of way. Local governments would be allowed to designate areas for homeless people to sleep.

Another part of the measure will give legal standing to residents and business owners to file civil lawsuits against local governments that allow sleeping or camping on public property. That part of the law will take effect Jan. 1.

Communities have scrambled in recent months to try to comply with the law. Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis said he hoped Gov. Ron DeSantis would delay enforcement.

“We’re doing our best to try to address it. We’ve staffed our police department, our civilian homeless outreach program, we’ve doubled it this past year, because we feel it’s a priority,” Trantalis said during a Sept. 1 meeting. “But the mandate from the state is an onerous burden.”

Miami-Dade County has considered “tiny houses,” managed by a homeless agency, the Homeless Trust, as emergency accommodations to limit the impact of the changes on jails.

Jacksonville rolled out a $13.6 million plan to address the law that included a point person in the mayor’s office to address homeless issues, expanded outreach teams and an increase in beds at shelters.

“It’s not just about keeping people off the streets. It’s about making sure they can become viable members of our society,” Mayor Donna Deegan said in July.

Most bills passed during this year’s legislative session took effect July 1, including the budget for the 2024-2025 fiscal year. Here are some of the other measures that will take effect Oct. 1:

• HB 403: Creates several potential new license plates, including a “Margaritaville” plate — in honor of Buffett — to benefit the SFC Charitable Foundation, Inc. Other potential new plates include Universal Orlando Resort;” “Support General Aviation;” “Recycle Florida;” “Boating Capital of the World;” and “The Villages: May All Your Dreams Come True.”
• HB 549: Makes it a third-degree felony to be part of a group of five or more people who overwhelm a merchant to conduct retail theft.
• SB 718: Makes it a second-degree felony for people who possess fentanyl or similar drugs that result in first responders suffering overdoses or serious injuries.
• SB 758: Makes changes to laws about using tracking devices, with exemptions provided under certain circumstances for law-enforcement officers, parents of minors, caregivers of seniors and vehicle owners.
• SB 764: Requires medical facilities and rape crisis centers to transfer sexual-assault evidence kits to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement within 30 days.
• SB 1036: Increases criminal penalties for immigrants who are arrested for felonies after illegally re-entering the U.S. following deportation for earlier crimes.
• HB 1049: Requires disclosing information to home buyers such as whether the properties have had flood damage and notification that homeowners’ insurance policies don’t include coverage for flood damage.
• HB 1235: Makes a series of changes related to sexual offenders and sexual predators, including changing requirements about reporting to authorities at least 48 hours before moving to another state.
• HB 1389: Makes changes related to digital voyeurism, including increasing criminal penalties if offenders are age 19 or older and are family members or hold positions of authority over victims.
• SB 1628: Includes requiring local governments to complete business impact statements before adopting comprehensive plan amendments and land development regulations.

The forecast currently has Helene getting up to a Category 3 hurricane as it approaches landfall by Thursday in the Big Bend of Florida.

“[The National Hurricane Center] has never in their history forecasted a major at this stage of development,” DeSantis said at a news conference in Tallahasee. “I think the fact that this would be forecasted as a major at this point, without formation, shows that this has a potential to be a really, really significant storm.”

Tracking the Tropics 14 hours ago

Tropical Storm Helene could become a major hurricane as it approaches Florida

Hurricane season 18 hours ago

Florida residents evacuating as Tropical Storm Helene is expected to become a hurricane

DeSantis previously announced he was issuing a state of emergency for 41 counties ahead of the storm. Miami-Dade and Broward weren’t part of the declaration, but it did include Monroe County.

“The Big Bend and Panhandle should be especially prepared for a direct impact,” DeSantis said.

The area is still recovering from Hurricane Debby, which struck as a Category 1 in August, and Hurricane Idalia, which hit as a Category 4 in 2023.

“It is possible that we have an Idalia, Debby track… and this potentially could be even more powerful than Idalia, we’ll see. But it’s going to potentially impact areas that are in the process of rebuilding, not just in the Big Bend, but Panama City still,” DeSantis said.

The governor said he had activated the Florida State Guard, and 3,000 Florida National Guard soldiers were standing by, ready to assist.

DeSantis said impacts were anticipated “100, 200 miles outside of the eye of the storm, you could see with winds and you could see with surge. So if you’re in the Tampa Bay area, you anticipate that you’re going to see impacts. We could also see impacts in southwest Florida, just depending on what the track is.”

Outer rain bands from the system could start to move through the overnight hours on Tuesday and into Wednesday morning. Surge in the Florida Keys could be 1-3 feet as the system passes.

The governor said though there is some uncertainty about the storm’s track, Floridians have time to prepare for power outages, flooding and evacuations. Residents should ensure they have enough essentials, including food and water, for seven days.

Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie also encouraged people to heed evacuation warnings if they are implemented.

“People do not need to even leave their county in most instances,” DeSantis added. “It’s just getting away from when that water comes… The wind you can hide from. Anything that’s shelter in Florida is going to be able to withstand the wind, but it’s the water that can be really, really devastating.”

This is a developing story. Refresh for updates.

Helene had maximum sustained winds of 60 mph and was about 115 miles east-southeast of Cozumel, Mexico, according to the latest update from the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

Once it moves closer to the Yucatan channel, it’ll have the opportunity to strengthen into a hurricane and then a major hurricane, the NHC said.

HURRICANE SEASON LATEST

Hurricane season Sep 23

State of emergency in Florida as tropical system expected to become a hurricane

Hurricane season 13 hours ago

DeSantis expands Florida emergency declaration for Helene, urges preparation

The forecast currently has Helene getting up to a major Category 3 hurricane as it approaches landfall by Thursday afternoon and evening in the Big Bend of Florida.

A hurricane warning was issued for the Anclote River to Mexico Beach, Florida, while a hurricane watch was in effect for Englewood to the Anclote River, including Tampa Bay.

A tropical storm warning was issued for portions of Florida including the Lower and Middle Florida Keys west of the Channel 5 Bridge, while a tropical storm watch was in effect for Lake Okeechobee and the Palm Beach/Martin County line northward to the Savannah River.

Storm surge watches stretched along the state’s Gulf coast from the Big Bend all the way to the Florida Keys.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis expanded a state of emergency to 61 counties ahead of the storm, as some residents began to evacuate on Tuesday.

Tropical storm force wind is expected to extend well away from the center of the storm. South Florida's wind begins picking up tonight and into Wednesday morning. TS force conditions in the Lower Keys could last into Thursday! @nbc6 pic.twitter.com/Qzm5lWpGVy

— Chelsea Ambriz (@ChelseaAmbrizTV) September 24, 2024

Major impacts

Heavy rainfall will come with this system, increasing the flooding threat. The flooding rain looks to track well inland and into the midsouth into the weekend.

Due to how large this system is forecast to be, storm surge, wind and rainfall impacts will extend well away from the center, especially on the east side of the system.

Hurricane watches are place through the Big Bend of Florida while tropical storm watches extend down into the Lower Keys.

This system is forecast to strengthen into a major hurricane before making a landfall on Thursday! @nbc6 pic.twitter.com/tqsImqd1iW

— Chelsea Ambriz (@ChelseaAmbrizTV) September 24, 2024

Timeline

Wind will begin to pick up Tuesday afternoon and evening across the South Florida area.

Outer rain bands from this system could start to move through the overnight hours on Tuesday and into Wednesday morning. Surge in the Florida Keys could be 1-3 feet as the system passes.

For South Florida, wind will be the main thing we feel across Broward and Miami-Dade counties. Gusty conditions take over Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Wind could be sustained 20-25 mph and gust 35-40+ mph. 

Scattered tropical downpours are expected starting overnight Tuesday and into Wednesday morning.

The scattered outer bands will last off and on into Thursday and lingering showers into Friday. Isolated and quick tornadoes can’t be ruled out. Rain totals should be 2-4 inches with localized areas seeing up to 6 inches.

In the Keys, winds are already starting to pick up and will continue to do so through Thursday. Sustained wind of 20-30 mph is expected with gusts of 50+ mph.

Rainfall totals will range from 4-6 inches, especially as we go into Wednesday, and this system is west of the island chain.

Rain looks to linger into the weekend. Storm surge will also be possible, with heights of 1-3 feet.

Officials from the Florida Department of Education, led by an appointee of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, have been directing some of the state’s largest school districts to scale back their lesson plans not only on sexual activity, but on contraceptives, human development, abuse and domestic violence, as first reported by the Orlando Sentinel.

The shift reflects a nationwide push in conservative states to restrict what kids can learn about themselves and their bodies. Advocates are concerned that young people won’t reliably be taught about adolescence, safe sex or relationship violence at a time when sexually transmitted infections have been on the rise and access to abortion is being increasingly restricted.

Under recent changes to state law, it’s now up to the Florida Department of Education to sign off on school districts’ curriculum on reproductive health and disease education if they use teaching materials other than the state’s designated textbook.

About a dozen districts across Florida have been told by state officials to restrict their sex ed instruction plans, said Elissa Barr, a professor of public health at the University of North Florida and the chair of the Florida Healthy Youth Alliance, which advises school districts on developing and implementing comprehensive sex education programs.

Barr says comprehensive sex ed isn’t just about reducing teen pregnancy and protecting young people against HIV, at a time when Florida is reporting more HIV diagnoses than almost any other state, according to health policy research nonprofit KFF.

“Sex ed is sexual abuse prevention. It’s dating violence prevention. And it just helps young people develop healthier relationships and actually delay sexual initiation,” Barr told The Associated Press. “We still have 1 in 4 teens pregnant at least once before age 20. So for us to cut contraceptive information and education is really doing young people a disservice. It’s very harmful.”

Research has shown that comprehensive sex ed is associated with teens waiting longer to have sex for the first time, as well as reduced rates of teen pregnancy and STIs and the prevention of sexual abuse.

A spokesperson for the Florida Department of Education defended the state’s approach, highlighting the importance of abstinence and recent changes to state law that require schools to teach that “reproductive roles” are “binary, stable, and unchangeable.”

“Florida law requires schools to emphasize the benefits of sexual abstinence as the expected standard and the consequences of teenage pregnancy,” department communications director Sydney Booker said. “A state government should not be emphasizing or encouraging sexual activity among children or minors and is therefore right to emphasize abstinence.”

In Broward County Public Schools, which includes Fort Lauderdale and is the nation’s sixth largest school district, state officials told the district that pictures of reproductive anatomy and demonstrations on how to use contraceptives “should not be included in any grade level,” according to a staff memo that was shared with the AP.

Florida Department of Education officials also told the district to remove the words “abuse, consent, and domestic violence” from a proposed lesson for first graders and replace it with language that’s considered more age-appropriate, such as “talking to a trusted adult when they feel uncomfortable.”

Barr said the concerns expressed about curriculum were “inconsistent” from district to district and were communicated verbally, not over email.

A representative for Orange County Public Schools, which includes Orlando, said the district revised its teaching plans in response to “verbal feedback” from the department.

“FDOE strongly recommended the district utilize the state adopted text,” district spokesperson Michael Ollendorff said.

Under Florida law, schools don’t have to teach sex ed. If they do offer lessons, they must emphasize abstinence as the “expected standard.” Florida parents have the right to opt their students out of that instruction, though surveys show the general public overwhelmingly supports schools teaching sex ed.

“Take politics out of it, take religion out of it and really focus on the science and what works for young people,” Barr said. “We have the answer, and it’s comprehensive sex ed.”

___

Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

At 46th, FIU is the only South Florida school to make the top 50 in the list of 2025 Top Public Schools. This is its first time in the top 50, and it sits at 98th among all national universities, public and private, according to the report.

“FIU climbed 18 spots from last year among public universities and 26 spots overall to become one of the Top 100 universities in the nation,” the university wrote in a news release. 

FIU soars into the Top 50 among public universities and Top 100 overall @USNews, rising faster than any university in the last 10 years. We couldn’t have done it without you, Panthers! Read at more: https://t.co/CjOweJk8N0 pic.twitter.com/mC7zzYGmN3

— FIU (@FIU) September 24, 2024

Who took the top spots?

The top public school in the country is the University of California Los Angeles, the report says, followed by the University of California Berkeley. The University of Michigan Ann Arbor took the third spot.

How did Florida do?

The Florida school that ranked the highest on the list of best public schools was the University of Florida in Gainesville, which took the number 7 spot. 

Florida State University in Tallahassee and University of South Florida in Tampa, ranked 23rd and 45th, respectively.

The University of Miami ranked 63rd nationwide.

Miami Dade College made history with its highest ranking to date, placing 4th among Top Public Schools – Regional Colleges.

Rep. Carlos Gimenez took to X to congratulate his alma mater.

More reasons to have Panther pride

FIU also boasts the number 2 undergraduate international business program in the country, “a position that it has held for the last six years,” the school said in a news release.

“The success of our undergraduate business program, in particular, is a point of pride for FIU and our global city,” FIU Provost, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Elizabeth M. Béjar said. “FIU is preparing business leaders for South Florida and the world.”

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Hurricane warnings were issued for the northwestern Florida coastline and part of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. Hurricane watches were issued for parts of western Cuba and Florida, including Tampa Bay, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. A tropical storm warning was issued for parts of Cuba and Florida’s southwestern coastline, including the Florida Keys.

The storm was 150 miles south of the western tip of Cuba, had sustained winds of 50 mph and was moving northwest at 12 mph. It was expected to strengthen into Hurricane Helene on Wednesday as it approached the Gulf Coast and could become a major hurricane Thursday.

In the U.S., federal authorities are positioning generators, food and water, along with search-and-rescue and power restoration teams, as President Joe Biden declared an emergency in Florida.

Ahead of the storm’s arrival on the state’s Gulf Coast as soon as late Thursday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis increased the counties included in the high-risk area Tuesday from 41 to 61.

The tropical storm prompted NASA and SpaceX to bump Thursday’s planned astronaut launch to at least Saturday. And Florida A&M University postponed its upcoming college football game against Alabama A&M.

Because the storm is so massive, it is important not to look just at where it is tracking, warned Larry Kelly, a specialist at the hurricane center, as around 10 Florida counties urged or ordered evacuations.

“It’s going to be a very large system with impacts across all of Florida,” he said. “Stay up to date with the latest forecast and heed your local officials.”

Hal Summers, a restaurant worker in Mexico Beach, Florida, needed no reminding after he barely survived Hurricane Michael in 2018. DeSantis has said Helene is reminiscent of that Category 5 hurricane, which rapidly intensified and caught residents off guard before plowing a destructive path across the western Florida Panhandle.

When it hit, Summers waded with his cat in his arms as waters began rising rapidly in his parents’ house. Their house and his home were destroyed.

“That was such a traumatic experience that that is not the place I needed to be for myself,” he said Tuesday as he evacuated with a friend to Marianna, a town farther inland.

If Tropical Storm Helene follows the same paths as two previous hurricanes that hit Florida in the past year or so, the state will have a quicker recovery and won’t take as big an economic hit, Florida’s chief financial officer said Tuesday.

That’s because Hurricane Idalia, which hit Florida in August 2023, and Hurricane Debby, which came ashore last August, took down vulnerable structures and trees which would have caused debris, said Jimmy Patronis, Florida’s chief financial officer.

Helene is expected to move over deep, warm waters, fueling its intensification. People in regions under watches and warnings should be prepared to lose power and should have enough food and water for at least three days, forecasters warned.

Helene, the eighth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, could strengthen into a major Category 3 hurricane — with winds of at least 111 mph — before approaching the northeastern Gulf Coast. Since 2000, eight major hurricanes have made landfall in Florida, according to Philip Klotzbach, a Colorado State University hurricane researcher.

Given the anticipated large size, storm surge, wind and rain will extend far from the center of the expected storm, especially on the eastern side. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has declared a state of emergency. And states as far inland as Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana could see rainfall associated with the storm.

A storm surge warning was in effect for Florida’s Tampa Bay, Charlotte Harbor, and from Indian Pass south to Flamingo. Florida and Georgia’s eastern coasts, from Palm Beach to the Savannah River, were under a tropical storm watch.

A tropical storm warning for Grand Cayman was dropped. Authorities urged people to stay indoors as the storm moved away and said crews would soon fan out to assess damage.

The sun shone Tuesday in Tarpon Springs, Florida, but residents already filled sandbags as they braced for potential flooding.

Officials in the Cayman Islands closed schools, airports and government offices as strong winds knocked out power in some areas of Grand Cayman, while heavy rain and waves as high as 10 feet unleashed flooding.

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Many in Cuba worried about the storm, whose tentacles are expected to reach the capital of Havana, which is struggling with a severe shortage of water, piles of uncollected garbage and chronic power outages.

Helene is expected to slip between Cuba and Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula early Wednesday and then head north across the Gulf of Mexico.

Up to 8 inches of rain is forecast for western Cuba and the Cayman Islands with isolated totals of 12 inches. Up to 6 inches of rain is expected for the eastern Yucatan, with isolated totals of more than 8 inches.

Heavy rainfall also was forecast for the southeastern U.S. starting Wednesday, threatening flash and river flooding, according to the National Hurricane Center. Up to 8 inches of rain was forecast for the region, with isolated totals of 12 inches.

A storm surge of up to 15 feet was forecast from Ochlockonee River, Florida, to Chassahowitzka, and up to 10 feet from Chassahowitzka to Anclote River and from Indian Pass to Ochlockonee River.

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted an above-average Atlantic hurricane season this year because of record-warm ocean temperatures. It forecast 17 to 25 named storms, with four to seven major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher.

In the Pacific, former Hurricane John killed two people after it barreled into Mexico’s southern Pacific coast, blowing tin roofs off houses, triggering mudslides and toppling scores of trees, officials said Tuesday.

The watch, in effect until further notice, sets the stage for the evolution of Tropical Storm Helene in the northwest Caribbean Sea and southern Gulf of Mexico over the next few days.

The storm, likely to grow in size and in strength, will have a large field of strong winds that could touch the Lower Keys Wednesday and Thursday.

Currently, the expectation is that winds could run at 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 50 mph with some of the stronger rain bands that sweep the area.

Locally heavy downpours will be possible through Thursday as rain totals of 3 to 6 inches remain possible from Marathon to Key West.

A storm surge up to two feet remains possible, based on the current track and trends. Adjustments would be made accordingly if the system tracks a little closer, or farther, from the Keys.

In metro South Florida, conditions are likely to change for the wetter on Wednesday, too. Passing downpours for the balance of the week could produce 2 to 4 inches of rain, with locally heavier amounts.

While the winds won’t be as strong, breezy conditions with gust to 45 mph in a few rain bands cannot be ruled out.  While the wet pattern sustains for the rest of the week, the weekend should yield subtle improvements.

But over the years, processes have been developed to make sure the water pumped to your home is safe, clear, and drinkable. 

NBC6 Responds visited the Alexander Orr Water Treatment Facility operated by the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department. 

Water from this water treatment facility ends up in homes South of SW 8th Street to 248th Street in Miami-Dade County. But with multiple plants across the county, the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department provides drinking water for about 2.3 million people. 

“In Miami-Dade County, the water quality is extremely high, and I am very comfortable with people drinking tap water. I drink the tap water,” said Roy Coley, the Director of the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department. 

He showed NBC6 the ins and outs of what it takes to filter and disinfect your drinking water.

How water is cleaned for drinking

When water is pumped from the aquifer to the Miami-Dade Water and Treatment facility, lime is added as the first step in a long process. 

Lime helps to soften the water, purify, and eliminate cloudiness. 

Next, disinfectants like chlorine and ammonia are used. Together they create what is known as chloramine. This helps to protect the water against bacteria. 

The water then travels through a series of filters to remove the remaining chemicals. 

Before the water is pumped out to your house, two more chemicals are added: a small amount of fluoride and a compound to reduce corrosion as the water travels through pipes in the distribution system. 

Because things like bacteria, heavy metals, and chemicals can leach through corroded pipes, microbiologists and chemists test the water multiple times before it gets to your home. 

Each year, roughly 320,000 analyses of water samples are taken to make sure contaminants regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency are under the federal limits for what’s considered safe in our drinking water. 

Water districts are required to publish a drinking water quality report each year. It’s a snapshot of the water quality once a year and it shows contamination levels. 

This report is published online by your local water district and is also distributed through the mail.

The alleged sham candidate, Alex Pedro Rodriguez, under oath, said Artiles was behind his ghost campaign where the plan was not to win, but only to disrupt the race. Republicans ended up flipping the Senate seat from Democrat to Republican.

“You claim that you were offered 50,000 by Mr. Artiles?” asked Frank Quintero, an attorney representing Artiles.

“Yes I was,” Rodriguez replied.

“To run as candidate?” Quintero asked.

“Yes I was,” Rodriguez said.

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The ghost candidate, who shared a last name as incumbent Democratic Sen. Jose Javier Rodriguez, got more than 6,000 votes. 

Rodriguez, the sitting senator, lost the election and his seat to Republican candidate Ileana Garcia by 32 votes.

Prosecutors say Artiles broke campaign finance laws and other committed election-related crimes. His lawyer told jurors backing a ghost candidate is not against the law.

On Monday, defense attorneys brought up how Artiles and the ghost candidate had business deals, but denied they were payments made for him to run for senate. 

“So because of your lies, Mr. Artiles is sitting in court fighting for his liberty, sir. Do you understand that? Does that bother you?” Quintero asked Rodriguez while on the stand. 

Defense attorneys are trying to paint Rodriguez as a liar, dishonest, and untruthful person. For example, they showed jurors a profile of Rodriguez’s Belen Jesuit Preparatory School alumni page, where the man lied about owning a business and having a college degree. 

Rodriguez stated he lied because he needed to get any business he could get. 

In the end, it will be up to jurors to decide whether or not the money Artiles paid Rodriguez in their transactions, broke any state election laws. 

Rodriguez pleaded guilty and got probation in exchange for his testimony against Artiles. 

The trial continues Tuesday.

Broward Sheriff’s deputies arrested 26-year-old Manuel Collazo Diago on Thursday on a charge of battery on a person 65 or older, jail records showed.

The alleged incident happened at a home near Southwest 9th Street and Southwest 4th Avenue.

Videos showed the alleged attack and deputies taking Diago into custody. He was later booked into jail.

According to an arrest report, the victim said she’d found a small dog in front of her home that she knew belonged to Diago and went to his trailer.

She said he pushed her to the ground and started yelling at her for no reason, then started punching her in the face and all over her body, the report said.

He also dragged her by her hair and pushed her face against the concrete, and told her he was going to kill her, the report said.

At one point, Diago picked up a rock and tried to hit her with it, then bit her on the hand, breaking her skin, before he tried to push her head into a puddle of water, the report said.

When people who heard the victim screaming showed up, Diago ran inside his trailer, the report said. He was later taken into custody.

Five schools from Miami-Dade County and one Broward County public school were among the 15 schools in Florida that were awarded the prestigious recognition.

The schools are recognized in both or either category: as Exemplary High Performing Schools, in which the school is a top performer in state assessments or nationally normed tests, or as Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing Schools, which excel in narrowing achievement gaps between different student groups and the overall student body.

The following South Florida schools are 2024 National Blue Ribbon Schools and were recognized as Exemplary High Performing Schools:

George Washington Carver Middle School in Coral Gables, Miami-Dade County Public Schools

This magnet school offers international students and education in French, German, Italian and Spanish, as well as many STEAM – Science Technology Engineering Arts and Music – lessons and projects.

Somerset Academy Davie Charter School in Davie, Broward School District

Somerset Academy was named a National Blue Ribbon School back in 2011 and 2017. With only 151 students enrolled, the school boasts a close-knit, family-like atmosphere that supports every student’s growth with a rigorous curriculum.

Jose Marti MAST 6-12 Academy in Hialeah, Miami-Dade School District

This STEM magnet school has previously received many national accolades, including a top 100 ranking from the U.S. News and World Report. The academy focuses on scientific and mathematical research, methodology and the application of the sciences.

HIVE Preparatory School in Miami, Miami-Dade School District

This K-8 charter school is recognized as a Title I school that predominantly consists of Hispanic and African American ethnicities. The school’s goals in education are in the name: High expectations, Inquiry-driven, Versatile, and Excellence-minded academic and social environment.

True North Classical Academy in Miami, Miami-Dade charter school

The first classical school in Miami boasts superior academic experience and moral development in a tuition-free public charter school. 100% of the student body graduates and enrolls in college.

North Dade Center For Modern Languages in Miami Gardens, Miami-Dade School District

Established in 1989, it stands on the site of the first all-Black high school in upper Miami-Dade County and in the present day provides educational excellence to traditionally underrepresented: the current student body comprises over 40 nationalities and over 20 languages.

“The National Blue Ribbon Schools Award is a testament to the exceptional achievements of students and educators at each of these schools,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “The 2024 National Blue Ribbon Schools are raising the bar for our nation’s students, serving as models for effective teaching and intentional collaboration in their schools and communities. As we celebrate their achievements, let us look to these schools for inspiration as we champion education as the foundation of a brighter future for every child.” 

Across the county, 356 schools were recognized this year. Up to 420 schools are nominated each year.

The 911 call is one of two obtained by NBC6 on Monday from the Sept. 18 incident that claimed the life of Cameron Day.

“I’m in front of my house and in front of the house there is a guy in the bicycle and he’s on the ground and it’s raining and thundering and he don’t move, he’s been there like for five minutes, or ten minutes,” a man tells the dispatcher in the call.

Loud thunder can be heard in the background as the caller tries to explain what happened.

“He’s over there and it’s thundering, you know, and he’s over there under the tree and he’s on the bicycle and he don’t move, I don’t know what happened,” the caller says.

Day was riding his bike home from McArthur High School when it appears he was struck in the area of Southwest 67th Avenue and Southwest 6th Street.

Pembroke Pines Police officials said the teen was found lying in the grass in the area and was taken to Memorial Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

In another 911 call released Monday, a neighbor said they found the teen’s belongings that were left at the scene.

“It was stormy and like thundery outside, there was kid that for some reason he ended up on the side of the road with his bike, and we saw paramedics arrive on the scene and they just took the kid but they left like his bookbag and his bike behind. We’re hoping that the kid is ok,” the female caller says.

She added that she found his wallet with ID and wanted to get belongings to him, not knowing he had died.

“We saw when he was taken away, we didn’t know what happened to him, we didn’t know if it was the lightning or something that might have hit him but we just noticed that everything was left behind so we didn’t want to leave it on the side of the road like that,” the caller said.

The teen was a junior and a proud member of the school band. His family said he was the youngest of four children and the only boy.

The Seattle Seahawks clobbered Miami’s offensive line and sacked Skylar Thompson five times in Sunday’s 24-3 loss. They shut down the Dolphins’ playmakers. And they burned Miami’s defense for a 71-yard touchdown.

“Consistency has to be found from the nucleus in the group,” coach Mike McDaniel said. “The guys that truly know the offense have to really be on it. And we have to just keep chopping wood and get better fast.”

And now the Dolphins could be turning to their third quarterback in four weeks.

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Tua Tagovailoa, on injured reserve with a concussion, watched from the sideline on Sunday as Thompson went down in the third quarter.

Thompson was slow to get up after Seahawks linebacker Tyrel Dodson hit him for a sack, and he was slightly hunched over at the midsection as he ran off the field.

He returned for the next series but stayed down after completing a pass to running back De’Von Achane. Thompson remained on his back for a few minutes before sitting up and walking directly to the locker room.

McDaniel later said Thompson suffered a “painful” rib injury and that the quarterback would be further evaluated Monday. McDaniel didn’t say what the next steps would be for the Dolphins.

“I think you have to look at everything, and you have to find a way to give your team a best chance to win,” he said. “In 2022, this was something that happened to us as well. And ultimately the rest of the league does not care, nor should they. We have to find a way to get better collectively. And it’s going to take a better effort by everyone, including myself, or starting with myself.”

The injury to Thompson came a little over a week after Tagovailoa suffered his third diagnosed concussion in two years during a loss to Buffalo. Tagovailoa will miss at least three more games as he works through the NFL’s concussion protocol.

If Thompson misses time, Tim Boyle and Tyler Huntley are the other quarterbacks on Miami’s roster. The Dolphins signed Huntley off the Ravens’ practice squad last week, and he served as the third quarterback Sunday.

Boyle replaced Thompson and finished with 79 yards passing.

“Business as usual. Nothing’s going to change,” Boyle said. “I have a pretty good routine, Year 7 at this point. (I will) watch my film, look at my corrections and move on to the next team after the 24-hour rule.”

Even before his injury, Thompson struggled in his first start since 2022. He completed 13 of 19 passes for 107 yards and looked uncomfortable under center as the Dolphins struggled to move the ball.

McDaniel took part of the blame for Miami’s offensive ineptitude, which included just 205 total yards and 3.7 yards per play.

“I don’t think it was as much of the quarterback as it can easily be made out to be,” he said. “I think it was the overall orchestration and execution of plays down in and down out. And I have to look at that hard in terms of myself to what we’re doing, what we’re good at and how to play clean football.”

What’s working

Ball security and takeaways. The Dolphins did not turn the ball over on Sunday after three turnovers against Buffalo. Miami also intercepted Geno Smith twice.

What needs help

Discipline. Eleven penalties were accepted against Miami for 85 yards, including pre-snap penalties on offense and issues on special teams. McDaniel said some of Miami’s self-inflicted wounds were a result of not handling the road environment well enough. Seattle’s Lumen Field is known as one of the loudest stadiums in football, but Sunday was certainly not Miami’s first time playing in a raucous road environment.

Stock up

DT Zach Sieler had three tackles, a sack, a quarterback hit, a tackle for loss and a pass breakup. Sieler also came up with an interception on a deflection by Calais Campbell in the third quarter.

Stock down

The entire offense. The Dolphins recorded just 13 first downs, were 1 for 12 on third down and 0 for 2 in the red zone. Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, the NFL’s leading receiving duo from 2023, combined for just seven catches for 66 yards. The pair had seven catches for 65 yards against Buffalo in Week 2.

Injuries

LT Terron Armstead already was playing through a shoulder injury and got poked in the eye in the second quarter. Armstead and CB Kendall Fuller also are in the concussion protocol after being evaluated during the game.

Key number

112 — The number of rushing yards the Dolphins are allowing per game. Miami has allowed five rushing touchdowns this season.

Next steps

The Dolphins will look to regroup against the winless Titans, who also have had issues on offense. Miami hosts Tennessee on Monday night.

Ajeskca Lucas, 46, was arrested Sunday for tampering with an electronic monitoring device while on house arrest, records showed.

Lucas had been arrested back on Sept. 10 for violating a domestic violence injunction, an arrest report said.

According to the report, Lucas’ ex-girlfriend had obtained the injunction in July.

The ex-girlfriend went to police with video footage from her Ring camera that showed Lucas knocking on her door, the report said.

Lucas was booked into jail. Attorney information wasn’t available.

Edwin Amaya, 32, is facing a premeditated murder charge in the Saturday night incident that left 29-year-old Brenda Hernandez Amaya dead, Broward Sheriff’s Office officials said.

Amaya didn’t speak during Monday’s court appearance, where he was ordered held without bond.

The horrific crime unfolded in front of friends and family on Southwest 8th Street and was caught on camera.

BSO officials said Amaya and Hernandez Amaya had been involved in a dispute over their shared child and at one point, Amaya got into his Ford F-250 pickup and intentionally drove into Hernandez Amaya.

Cell phone video showed what appeared to be an argument in the street and the moments leading up to the impact.

A man was also struck by the truck and held onto the truck ad Amaya struck parked cars, officials said.

The man fell off as Amaya got out and fled on foot, officials said. He was taken into custody a short time later.

Hernandez Amaya was rushed to a local hospital but she died from her injuries.

The 32-year-old man who was hit by the truck suffered non-life threatening injuries.

Witnesses said Amaya was aggressive and got upset when Hernandez Amaya wouldn’t allow him to take their child.

Hernandez Amaya leaves behind three children ages 10 and younger.

Hernandez Amaya’s mother was in tears as she spoke with reporters in Spanish, describing her daughter as a good mother who loved her children.

According to a press release from his attorney, Hill has retained a legal team after that tense confrontation with Miami-Dade Police officers during a traffic stop back on Sept. 8.

Body camera video that has since gone viral on social media captured the tough police take down as Hill was pulled out of his car and detained over allegations of careless driving just hours before the Dolphins’ season opener against Jacksonville.

A 27-year veteran of the department who was involved in the incident, Officer Danny Torres, has been placed on administrative duty.

An employee profile released by the Miami-Dade Police Department showed Torres served as many as 50 days of suspension in six different incidents between 2014 and 2019.

The longest suspension was for 20 days. He also received four written reprimands.

“It is already clear that well before this incident, Miami-Dade County should have fired Officer Torres,” attorney Jeffrey Neiman said in Monday’s press release. “Instead, the County repeatedly returned Officer Torres to the street permitting him to use his police authority to terrorize people.”

Hill and his legal team are also demanding Congress pass the “George Floyd Justice in Policing Act,” which aims to increase accountability for law enforcement misconduct.

The incident happened around 5 p.m. Saturday in the 2200 block of Northwest 175th Street, Miami Gardens Police said.

Police said it appears there was a road rage incident that led to a shooting.

When officers arrived, the victim was found inside his vehicle suffering from a gunshot wound, police said.

The victim was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. His identity hasn’t been released.

Police said the other person, whose identity wasn’t released, stayed at the scene and was taken into custody.

The incident remains under investigation and charges are pending, police said.

The system had maximum sustained winds of 35 mph as it moved north-northwest at 6 mph about 290 miles southeast of the western tip of Cuba, the latest update from the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

A tropical storm watch was issued for the Dry Tortugas and lower Florida Keys south of the Seven Mile Bridge and portions of the southwest.

Tropical storm warnings and hurricane watches were also issued for portions of Mexico and Cuba for the system, which was forecast to move across the northwestern Caribbean Sea and into the southeastern Gulf of Mexico during the next couple of days.

The system was forecast to become a hurricane on Wednesday and continue strengthening as it moves across the eastern Gulf of Mexico, the NHC said.

Portions of Florida’s west coast and Panhandle were in the NHC’s potential forecast cone, but forecasters said storm surge, wind, and rainfall impacts will likely extend well away from the center, particularly to the east of the system.

In a statement Monday afternoon, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced he was issuing a state of emergency for 41 counties ahead of the storm. Miami-Dade and Broward weren’t part of the declaration but it did include Monroe County.

Residents from coastal Louisiana to the west coast of Florida are encouraged to monitor the forecast for the next several days. While it is too soon to pinpoint where the system will ultimately go, the Florida panhandle, through the Big Bend area, could be focal point for impact later in the week.

Locally heavy rainfall, isolated severe storms and a dangerous rip current risk for both sides of the Florida peninsula is possible. 

For South Florida, the weather will be determined by the anticipated storm’s position and intensity. This could include breezy conditions, passing downpours, high surf and dangerous marine conditions.

The next named system for the 2024 hurricane season will be “Helene.”

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According to Florida Highway Patrol, a Mercedes SUV was traveling east on SW 256th Street and a Toyota sedan was traveling South on Krome Avenue.

The Mercedes failed to yield the right of way, and drove right into the path of the Toyota. The Toyota then crashed into the right side of the Mercedes.

Two toddlers who were traveling in the Toyota at the time of the crash were ejected from the car, and landed on the roadway. Both were airlifted to Kendall Regional in critical condition.

The driver of the Toyota and the Mercedes were also transported with serious injuries.

Krome Avenue was closed for approximately two hours during the preliminary investigation, but has since reopened.

The incident happened on the third floor of a garage at 1567 San Remo Avenue after officials said it appeared the woman driving the SUV accidentally hit the accelerator.

Coral Gables Fire Rescue officials said the crash sent the SUV through a concrete barrier.

Aerial footage from Chopper 6 showed the white SUV over the edge of the garage and against a tree.

Officials said there was a woman inside the vehicle that was hanging halfway out but was being held up by the tree.

Rescue workers used ropes to bring the woman to safety, and she was taken to a nearby hospital in stable condition.

“Pretty sure that she was pretty shaken up, but looking at it from outside, she was fairly calm considering how dramatic this incident was,” Coral Gables Fire Rescue Division Chief Xavier Jones said.

An employee of a doctor’s office across the street said they heard the moment of impact.

“I basically heard a car peeling out, like they hit the gas by accident or trying to go really fast. I heard a really hard crash, so I thought it was a car crash between two cars,” Katiana Polanco said.

Officials brought a crane in to remove the vehicle and said structural engineers would be taking a look at the garage.

According to an arrest report, 59-year-old Ronnie Turner was arrested after Broward County School Police Special Investigative Unit received an anonymous tip that Turner was known to “carry a pistol on him while he was on school grounds.”

The tip, which was sent in a letter via USPS, also stated that “most of the time he’s know to keep it in his truck locked and loaded,” the arrest report said.

When Turner arrived at the school for his shift at Village Elementary in Sunrise, investigators confronted him at the school principal’s office, the report said.

Turner explained that the gun, a 9mm Smith & Wesson M&P, was in his truck, and investigators proceeded to explain to him that having a weapon on school grounds was not only a school district safety and security policy violation, but also a crime under Florida state statute, the arrest report said.

The report added that Turner was cooperative in speaking with investigators and explained he believed it was “okay to carry his firearm and leave it in his vehicle as long as he had a valid concealed weapons permit.”

Turner appeared remorseful, the report stated, and said he was not aware he was in violation of any school district policy or state statute.

Officials got the gun from the truck’s center console and found that it was loaded with 12 rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber, the arrest report said.

The firearm was made safe and was later secured at the Sunrise Police Department evidence unit.

Turner appeared before a bond court judge and has been charged with having a firearm on school property. Bond was set at $1,000.

The note was made public in a U.S. District Court filing asking that Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, be held in pre-trial detention. Later on Monday, a judge ordered he would remain in jail pending trial.

Law enforcement was contacted Sept. 18 by a civilian who said that Routh had dropped off a box at his residence several months earlier, the filing said. The witness opened the box after learning of the Sept. 15 incident at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. 

The box contained ammunition, four phones and letters. 

One handwritten letter addressed to “The World” said: “This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I failed you.”

The letter said in part: “He ended relations with Iran like a child and now the Middle East has unraveled.” 

Routh was arrested Sept. 15 after a Secret Service agent moving ahead of the former president as he was golfing at Trump International Golf Club spotted “the partially obscured face of a man” in the brush along the fence line and the barrel of a rifle “aimed directly at him.” The agent fired at the man, who fled. He was spotted by a witness and was soon after arrested on Interstate 95.

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Routh has since been charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.

The FBI searched Routh’s Nissan Xterra and found six cellphones — one of which contained a Google search of how to travel from Palm Beach County to Mexico.

Cell site records from two of the phones indicated Routh had traveled from Greensboro, North Carolina, to West Palm Beach on Aug. 14.

Further, on “multiple days and times from Aug. 18, 2024, to Sept. 15, 2024, Routh’s cellphone accessed cell towers located near Trump International and the former president’s residence at Mar-a-Lago,” the filing said.

Also found in the vehicle were 12 pairs of gloves, a Hawaii driver’s license in Routh’s name, passport and documents. One of the documents was a handwritten list of dates in August, September and October and venues where Trump had appeared or was expected to. 

Agents also found a notebook with “dozens of pages” filled with names and phone numbers about Ukraine, discussions on how to join the fight on behalf of Ukraine and notes criticizing the Chinese and Russian governments.

The filing said law enforcement learned that the license plate on the Nissan Xterra was not registered to the vehicle, and two additional license plates were found in the car. 

A search of the area where Routh had been hiding near the golf course led to the discovery of a rifle with a scope attached and obliterated serial number, an extended magazine, a backpack and a reusable shopping bag that contained plates “capable of stopping small arms fire.”

On the rifle, investigators found a latent fingerprint on a piece of tape attached to the firearm that preliminarily matched Routh. 

NBC News observed heavy police presence and tape near a row of palm trees and bushes lining the golf course on Summit Boulevard after the apparent assassination attempt last week.

On Thursday, after law enforcement re-opened the road to the public, NBC News identified an opening in the bushes behind the palm trees, which is easily accessible from the public sidewalk. The gap had a view of the golf course and was large enough for someone to occupy.

Routh appeared in Florida court for nearly three hours Monday, where prosecutors alleged he went to Trump International Golf Club with the goal of assassinating Trump. 

“Any established ties to southern district of Florida is for one reason only and that was to kill former President Trump,” the prosecutor said to the judge.

His defense attorney said Routh’s sister is a licensed attorney in North Carolina and was willing to house him if he was released on bail. Ultimately, U.S. Magistrate Judge Ryon M. McCabe ruled Routh would be held pending his trial.

Routh appeared emotionless throughout the hearing, wearing a blue jumpsuit and shackled at his hands and feet. He appeared to nod his head when the defense questioned an FBI special agent about Routh’s social media posts about fighting for Ukraine.

This story first appeared on NBCNews.com. More from NBC News:

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The incident happened shortly before 1:30 a.m. at Antojitos Mexicanos located at 3943 Davie Boulevard.

Fort Lauderdale Police said it appeared there had been a verbal dispute between the suspect and victim that led to the shooting.

Police later identified the victim as 54-year-old Socorro Camacho.

Images captured by NBC6 showed investigators walking in and out of the restaurant and medical examiners covering what appeared to be a body with a white sheet.

Investigators were also seen blocking off the area surrounding the restaurant with yellow tape while they conducted their investigation.

Mauro Bonilla wasn’t inside at the time of shooting but said he is a frequent customer of the restaurant and spoke to someone who witnessed the whole thing.

“Two guys got into an argument because one of them played a song [on the jukebox] and the other guy was kind of pissed off and insulted the guy,” Bonilla said.

The man by the jukebox playing the music then responded by pulling out a gun, Bonilla said.

“How they both got inside with a weapon I don’t know,” Bonilla said.

Camacho’s brother told NBC6 in Spanish that the family knew something was wrong when they couldn’t get in touch with his brother.

“I only know they fought over a song and that is it,” he said.

The brother said he is devastated that his brother is gone, since he was the only family he had here in Florida.

Employees at the restaurant say after the shooting customers ran from inside the building and the shooter took off.

Police said no arrests have been made but their investigation was ongoing.

Images from Chopper 6 showed major bumper to bumper traffic early Monday morning after at least three cars were involved in the crash.

At this time, drivers are urged to seek an alternate route.

Meanwhile, the Miami Dolphins are again facing questions about who will be under center at quarterback moving forward.

“All that matters is that we win, however that we get it done,” Seattle QB Geno Smith said. “I’m not really particular about that, but 3-0, it’s a great start.”

Smith threw for 289 yards and a 71-yard touchdown to DK Metcalf, Zach Charbonnet rushed for two TDs, and the Seahawks beat Miami 24-3 on Sunday where the attention turned to another injury suffered by a Dolphins quarterback.

A week after losing Tua Tagovailoa to the third concussion in the past two years, the Dolphins watched Skylar Thompson suffer a chest injury in the second half, leaving Tim Boyle to try to lead the charge back from a 17-3 deficit.

Boyle was unable to direct a comeback and the Dolphins (1-2) were stuck back in a place of uncertainty about their QB situation.

Miami coach Mike McDaniel said Thompson suffered a painful rib injury.

“You have to look at everything and you have to find a way to give your team the best chance to win,” McDaniel said. “I think in 2022, this was something that happened to us as well and ultimately the rest of the league does not care, nor should they. So, we have to find a way to get better collectively.”

Thompson was hurt in the third quarter, staying down after being shoved by Dre’Mont Jones following a pass to De’Von Achane. But the injury was likely suffered on the previous drive when Thompson was sacked by Tyrel Dodson and was hunched over at the midsection as he ran off the field.

Thompson was 13 of 19 for 107 yards before leaving. He was also sacked five times.

Seattle is the first team since the Steelers in 1979 to start 3-0 and hold each of those opponents to under 150 yards passing. Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle combined for seven catches for just 66 yards.

“It’s such a dangerous team. You know the usual suspects,” Macdonald said. “When they get their hands on the ball you’ve got to take great angles, you need inside-out pursuit, you’ve got to set the edge. I thought our front played incredibly hard.”

Tagovailoa made the trip to Seattle just over a week after suffering the concussion against Buffalo on Sept. 12. The Dolphins expressed confidence that Thompson would be able to step in and keep their potent offense moving.

But all Miami could manage was Jason Sanders’ 23-yard field goal in the first quarter. Miami had just 205 total yards.

“I’ve never won a game scoring three points, so I think collectively starting with me it has to be better. We have to get it figured out fast,” McDaniel said.

Miami had a chance to pull within one score early in the fourth quarter following Smith’s second interception of the game — a pass that was deflected by Calais Campbell and grabbed out of the air by Zach Sieler. Miami reached the Seattle 3, but failed on four attempts and turned the ball over on downs.

Seattle answered that defensive stand with a 98-yard scoring drive, capped by Charbonnet’s 10-yard TD run with 4:55 left. Charbonnet finished with 91 yards rushing on 18 carries, while Smith was 26 of 34 passing, including the long TD toss to Metcalf.

Seattle improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2020.

“We always talk about closing the game and for the offense that was our opportunity to go close the game … and just be on the attack right there. I think we did a great job,” Charbonnet said.

Seattle’s offense was humming early with Smith throwing for 133 yards in the first quarter. The big shot came on the final play of the first quarter when Metcalf used a double move to flash open and Smith found him for his seventh career touchdown catch of 50 yards or more.

But after that opening quarter it was a rather miserable afternoon for the Seahawks on that side of the ball with drives often stymied by penalties. The teams were each flagged for 11 accepted penalties with several more declined or offsetting.

“I think that’s the only thing that stopped us today was the stupid penalties that we had,” Metcalf said.

Injuries

Along with Thompson, the Dolphins lost starting left tackle Terron Armstead (eye) and cornerback Kendall Fuller (concussion) to injuries in the first half.

Seattle lost significant depth on the defensive line as rookie first round pick Byron Murphy II (hamstring) and Leonard Williams (ribs) were both lost to injuries in the first half. Both were ruled out at halftime.

Up next

Dolphins: Host Tennessee next week on “Monday Night Football.”

Seahawks: At Detroit next week on “Monday Night Football.”

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

One week after starter Tua Tagovailoa suffered a concussion, backup Skylar Thompson left the game midway through the third quarter of Sunday’s 24-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

Thompson had what coach Mike McDaniel called a painful rib injury, leaving the Dolphins with more questions at the most important position on the field after just three weeks of the season.

Thompson’s final play was a 5-yard pass to De’Von Achane with 9:46 left in the third, but he took a hard shot on the previous drive when Seahawks linebacker Tyrel Dodson hit him for a sack, one of five he took on the day.

Thompson finished 13 of 19 for 107 yards, and was replaced by Tim Boyle at quarterback.

“Half the pain or half of the frustration for him, I think was, he was really trying to find a way to not come out of the game,” McDaniel said. “And ultimately, it was pretty painful. He fought through it, but we’ll get a chance to look at him tomorrow.”

Thompson was slow to get up following the hit from Dodson and was slightly hunched over at the midsection as he ran off the field. He returned for the next series, but stayed down for several minutes after completing the pass to Achane. Thompson remained on his back for a few minutes before sitting up and walking directly to the locker room.

The injury to Thompson came a little over a week after Tagovailoa suffered his third concussion in the past two years in a loss to Buffalo. Tagovailoa was placed on injured reserve earlier this week, meaning he’s not an option for the Dolphins for at least four games.

McDaniel didn’t reveal what the Dolphins’ plan is for the upcoming week if Thompson is unable to go for Miami’s home matchup against Tennessee next Monday night. Miami did sign Tyler Huntley off the Ravens’ practice squad earlier this week and he served as the third quarterback Sunday.

McDaniel sounded optimistic that the rest of the highly regarded offense would be able to bounce back, even with the team going through a roller-coaster couple of weeks under center.

“I think consistency has to be found from the nucleus in the group,” McDaniel said. “The guys that truly know the offense have to really be on it and we have to just keep chopping wood and get better fast. … Those things happen, and you know, every single season, there’s teams that find a way to win football games when their starter, or even their backup, is out.”

It was the third significant injury for the Dolphins in the game after left tackle Terron Armstead (eye) and cornerback Kendall Fuller (concussion) were injured in the first half.

Fuller was hurt during the first quarter, was evaluated then ruled out early in the second half. Armstead’s injury was announced late in the second quarter and Kendall Lamm stepped in as his replacement.

Seattle lost significant depth on its defensive line with injuries to Byron Murphy II and Leonard Williams in the first half. Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald didn’t have updates on either injury.

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

The incident was reported in the southbound lanes of I-95 near Northwest 2nd Street around 3:40 p.m.

Florida Highway Patrol officials said a green Toyota SUV and a blue Mazda SUV were involved in a crash that caused the Toyota to lose control, hit a barrier wall and overturn before it went over the wall.

The Toyota fell off of the I-95 overpass and came to rest on the Flagler St Bridge underneath, FHP officials said.

Video from Only in Dade shows a mangled SUV and the moment a Good Samaritan helped a man out of the vehicle.

Cameras also captured major traffic backups nearby and debris scattered across the roadway.

Witnesses told NBC6 that the SUV ended up dangling on the structures below the overpass.

“The front was leaning against the bridge and the rear was leaning against another wall. The door was pretty much just hanging in the air – probably an 8-foot drop between him and the floor,” Cristian Villalba said.

Villalba said he was giving out food to homeless people with members of his church before he heard the crash and rushed over to help.

“When we got there, we noticed that the car was technically in the air. It was leaning on the bridge. The man was a little confused. He wasn’t really aware of where he was,” Villalba said.

Villalba said the driver also couldn’t get his seatbelt off, so a homeless man used a knife to free him.

“The gentleman was about to step out of the car and fall. So, that’s when I got on the hood of the car and tried to pull him up from behind before he fell,” he added.

The driver of the Toyota was hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries.

Disturbing video showed the moment deputies said Edwin Amaya, 32, struck Brenda Hernandez Amaya, 29, with his Ford F-250 on Saturday night.

Broward Sheriff’s detectives said the two had gotten into an argument over their shared child near 130 S.W. Eighth Street before Edwin Amaya got into his truck and then intentionally drove it into Hernandez Amaya.

Edwin Amaya then drove into parked cars while another victim, Omar Munguia-Henrique, was trying to hang onto the vehicle and later fell to the ground, BSO said.

Family members said Munguia-Henrique was her ex-husband.

Meanwhile, Hernandez Amaya’s 10-year-old daughter said she witnessed the traumatic moment.

“I couldn’t cry. I couldn’t talk. I went down stairs, I started running,” she said.

Detectives said Hernandez Amaya and Munguia-Henrique were taken to the hospital, where Hernandez Amaya died.

Police say Edwin Amaya ran off from the scene but deputies later tracked him down in the 700 block of South Dixie Highway and arrested him on a premeditated murder charge.

Family told NBC6 that Brenda Hernandez Amaya leaves behind three children and they’re hoping to bring her remains to Honduras for a funeral.

Family members also clarified that she shared a 2-year-old son with Edwin Amaya.

Anyone with information on this incident should contact BSO Homicide Detective Steve Novak at 954-321-4325 or submit a tip through the SaferWatch App.

If you wish to remain anonymous, please contact Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS (8477), online at browardcrimestoppers.org, or dial **TIPS (8477) from any cellphone in the United States.  

As of Sunday afternoon, forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami were giving the area of unsettled weather in the Northwestern Caribbean a 40% chance for development in the next day or two, with an 80% chance for development by the middle of the week.

In this period, it is expected that a tropical depression or tropical storm will form.

As a result, tropical storm watches or warnings could be issued as soon as Monday for portions of Cuba and Mexico.

The next named system for the 2024 hurricane season will be “Helene.”

The timing of the system’s development, and the movement that positions the storm in the Gulf of Mexico, will have an important impact on how it tracks towards the United States late-week.

Residents from coastal Louisiana to the west coast of Florida are encouraged to monitor the forecast for the next several days. While it is too soon to pinpoint where the system will ultimately go, the Florida panhandle, through the Big Bend area, could be focal point for impact later in the week.

However, exactly where the system tracks will not be the only focus. The size and the intensity of a storm can present far-reaching impacts, away from the storm’s center. This could include locally heavy rainfall, isolated severe storms and a dangerous rip current risk for both sides of the Florida peninsula. 

For South Florida, our weather will be determined by the anticipated storm’s position and intensity. This could include breezy conditions, passing downpours, high surf and dangerous marine conditions.

Review your hurricane plan with the free NBC6 hurricane guide found here.

The confrontation, which was captured on a Ring doorbell camera, and later posted to Only in Dade, happened late Friday afternoon, Hialeah Police said.

It not only prompted reaction from the man who owns the home, but also sparked a wave of praise on social media, where users have applauded the employee’s bravery and quick action.

A man, dressed in a gray hoodie and black shorts, approached the house and tried to pretend as though the package was meant for him, video shows.

Rather than ignore the situation, the worker immediately took action – confronting the man and driving him away from the property.

In the video, the FedEx driver is heard telling the man to open the door, in order to prove that he actually lives at the home. The worker then attempted to gather more evidence by taking out his phone to record the potential thief.

“Who are you?” the driver asks him, before challenging him to open the door to the home.

Amid the commotion, the homeowner, Anthony Peña, intervened through his Ring camera, trying to understand what was happening at his door.

Peña is heard asking for clarification, before the worker explains that a man in a red vehicle, identified as a Honda, had attempted to steal a package.

Thanks to the driver’s swift actions, the potential theft was foiled and the suspect fled the scene.

“He did the right thing, you know, defended my property,” Peña told NBC6’s sister station, Telemundo 51.

In a phone interview, Peña expressed his gratitude to the FedEx worker, and added that the driver knew the family well.

The Hialeah Police Department told NBC6 that it has opened an investigation.

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Morris, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, was 77. In a statement, his family said his “talent and passion left an indelible mark on the sport.”

“Beyond the field, Mercury was a devoted father, a loving brother, a loyal friend, and a pillar in the community,” his family wrote in the statement. “His presence extended far beyond football, as he touched the lives of many throughout his time in Miami.”

Morris was the starting halfback and one of three go-to runners that Dolphins coach Don Shula utilized in Miami’s back-to-back title seasons of 1972 and 1973, alongside Pro Football Hall of Famer Larry Csonka and Jim Kiick. Morris led the Dolphins in rushing touchdowns in both of those seasons, finishing with an NFL-best 12 in 1972 and then 10 more in 1973.

Those two seasons — the best in Dolphins’ history — just happened to be the best of Morris’ eight-year career as well. He rushed for a career-high 1,000 yards in 1972, then ran for 954 more along with a league-best 6.4 yards per carry the following season.

“I think Shula gave everybody a different kind of direction and purpose being coached by this guy,” Morris said in 2008. “We were middle-class people and middle-class fans, and Shula was a blue-collar worker. And he had kind of a work ethic that really allowed you to see that if you work hard and you do what you’re supposed to do, then things are going to turn out for you — not all the time but you adjust to that and do what’s necessary to try to do as best you can.”

Morris made no secret of being filled with pride about the 1972 Dolphins being the first — and still only — undefeated and untied team in NFL history, pulling off a perfect season.

He also tried to make this clear: No, the Dolphins were not rooting against the teams that came close to matching their feat of perfection and did not have champagne on ice waiting for the moment that the last unbeaten team in a season gets defeated.

“And for the record, we DO NOT TOAST every time an unbeaten team loses,” Morris posted on social media in 2015, when the Cam Newton-led Carolina Panthers started 14-0 before losing the next-to-last game of their regular season. “There’s no champagne in my glass, only Canada Dry Ginger ale! Ha!”

That sense of humor also got pointed at his beloved Dolphins at times. When Miami was 0-8 in the 2007 season, on its way to a 0-13 start and 1-15 record, Morris offered another of his many memorable quips.

“The Dolphins are not embarrassing me, because our record’s at the top of the heap,” Morris said. “That’s not my team. People say, ‘Your team is doing bad.’ I say, ‘My team all has AARP cards.’”

Morris had some personal struggles after his football career ended, most notably being sentenced to 20 years in prison after his 1982 conviction on cocaine trafficking charges. He fought the conviction, admitting he used cocaine — in part to deal with numerous lingering injuries — but never sold the drug. His conviction was overturned by the Florida Supreme Court in 1986 and Morris became a motivational speaker urging people to avoid drugs.

“Was I bitter? Not really,” Morris wrote in his book “Against The Grain,” published in 1998. “I would not recommend three days in jail to anyone, much less three years. But I must be honest: I needed to go through what I did to develop the character I had when I became a free man.”

Morris went into the Dolphins’ Walk of Fame in 2013. He remains fourth on the team’s all-time rushing list with 3,877 yards behind Csonka (6,737), Ricky Williams (6,436) and Ronnie Brown (4,815).

And the patients are no longer elderly, but men who are 30 and 40 years old.

Could testosterone therapy be right for you?

“I wouldn’t say it’s a fountain of youth, but it’s probably the closest thing we are going to get,” said Josh Pollock, 39, and who nine years ago was lethargic, moody, and foggy brained.

“I didn’t know what low testosterone could do to a male’s body.”

His friends advised him to go to South Florida Men’s Health to seek some answers.

What he found, is that he met the criteria for testosterone therapy.

“It’s funny because I have a nephew who is five years old and I can keep up with him. I have energy for days. I have more energy on less sleep versus before when I had less energy on more sleep.”

He says he’s a completely different person.

And he thanks Dr. Rodolfo Hanabergh, who specializes in hormone replacement therapy, that includes treating testosterone deficiency in males, otherwise known as hypogonadism, that affects roughly 5 million men in the US.

The deficiency can be diagnosed through blood tests and the analysis of some symptoms.

“Fatigue is number one. Lack of motivation. Symptoms that could resemble depression. Lack of muscle strength. Patient could also be affected by anxiety. Lower libido, so the sex drive is affected,” Dr. Hanabergh said.

Dr. Hanabergh has been working in this field for over 30 years. He says a lot has changed, including the patient’s age.

He is seeing more clients around 30 to 40 years old.

THE IMPACT OF STRESS

But why is that?

An Endocrinologist in California says it could be due to obesity, lack of exercise, or drug and alcohol use.

The National Library back in 2019 cited the causes might be diabetes or anabolic steroid use.

While Dr. Hanabergh says there are not enough proven scientific studies, he has his own theory.

“I would say it’s environmental, social, young men are more stressed out than before. They don’t sleep as well as before. They are being affected by something that seems silly but pollution of all kinds. That’s my take.”

He’s also noticed a trend in those with low testosterone.

“I see this problem a lot in the military. We have a good population of veterans here.”

“The same with police officers, first responders. So, what is the common denominator there?: Stress, attitude, lack of proper rest.”

To elevate testosterone levels, weekly injections can be administered at home or a testosterone pellet can be implanted. That pellet can last 5 months.

But it’s not a sure all fix.

“I have found that many of my colleagues are giving testosterone to patients without really checking all the panels of the hormones. So, it’s not a matter of just giving testosterone. Some patients may not even need it at all,” said Dr. Hanabergh.

He explained that sometimes the problem is not the testosterone but that the pituitary gland is not producing a key hormone called luteinizing hormone or LH in short.

“I have found many patients without that test done, and they embark in testosterone therapy prematurely. And that could have consequences for the fertility system because that can block the production of sperm as well.”

Furthermore, Dr. Hanabergh said that there is no consensus in the medical community as to what qualifies as low testosterone. So, depending on who you seek treatment from, their threshold for what is considered low testosterone levels might be different.

Ward tossed TD passes of 6 yards to Isaiah Horton, 5 yards to Xavier Restrepo and 76 yards to Sam Brown, the latter putting Miami (4-0) ahead for good late in the second quarter. Damien Martinez rushed for three TDs, including a pair of 1-yarders that finished long drives that built the lead to 36-15 in the third quarter.

Receiver Sean Atkins had 11 catches for 125 yards and also threw a 12-yard TD pass to quarterback Byrum Brown for USF (2-2).

The Bulls led 15-14 with 2:36 remaining in the first half after getting field goals of 58 and 51 yards from Nico Gramatica and 45 yards from John Cannon to give an announced crowd of 58,616 hopes an upset was in the making.

Ward entered the night needing 89 yards to reach 15,000 for his career and got there on a 22-yard completion to Horton late in the first quarter. Moments later, he threw 6 yards to Horton for a touchdown that finished an eight-play, 90-yard drive that gave the Hurricanes a 14-9 lead.

The only other active college quarterback with more than 15,000 passing yards is Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, whose career total entering Saturday was 15,779 in 53 games at three different schools. Ward reached the milestone in the 48th game of a career that began at FCS Incarnate Word, where he threw for 6,908 yards in two seasons.

The 6-foot-2, 223-pound quarterback spent the last two years at Washington State, passing for 6,968 yards there. He’s thrown for 1,439 yards in Miami’s first four games to become the first to start a stint at the school with four consecutive 300-yard games and hike his career total to 15,315.

Ward finished Saturday night 24 of 34 passing with one interception on a throw that glanced off the hands of Restrepo in the first quarter. Jordan Lyle finished Miami’s scoring with a 90-yard TD run in the closing minutes.

USF, in its second season under coach Alex Golesh, gave a Top 10 opponent problems for the second time in its last three games. The Bulls got Miami’s attention when they played No. 4 Alabama close before a fourth-quarter collapse left them with a 42-16 loss.

It was 14-13 going into the fourth quarter against the Crimson Tide, though, and Saturday night they only trailed 22-15 after Cannon missed a 31-yard field goal that would have trimmed the deficit to four just before halftime.

Ward threw for five touchdowns and Miami amassed a school-record 750 yards total offense in the previous week’s 62-0 rout of Ball State. His three TD passes against USF raised his season total to 14.

The takeaway

Miami: The Hurricanes passed what amounted to their first real test after opening the season with lopsided wins over Florida (41-17), Florida A&M (56-9) and Ball State (62-0). Now, they turn their attention to the start of Atlantic Coast Conference play.

USF: Golesh clearly has the Bulls, who begin the American Athletic Conference portion of their schedule next week, headed in the right direction after inheriting a team that went 1-11 two years ago. The one-time Tennessee offensive coordinator led a six-win turnaround to 7-6 in 2023.

Poll implications

Miami, which has scored 209 points in its four games, figures to protect its standing in the Top 10.

Up Next

Miami hosts Virginia Tech in ACC opener next Friday.

USF has its AAC opener at Tulane next Saturday.

___

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Ward entered Saturday night’s game against South Florida needing 89 yards to get there and went over on a 22-yard completion to Isaiah Horton in the first quarter of the eighth-ranked Hurricanes’ 50-15 victory.

The fifth-year senior joins Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel as the only active college quarterbacks with more than 15,000 passing yards. Gabriel, whose career total entering Saturday was 15,779 in 53 games at three different schools, played parts of three seasons at UCF and then spent 2022 and 2023 at Oklahoma before moving on to Oregon.

Saturday’s game was the 48th of Ward’s career. He spent his first two collegiate season at FCS Incarnate Word (throwing for 6,908 yards there) and the last two years at Washington State (throwing for 6,968 yards there). He has 1,439 yards in Miami’s first four games this year, becoming the first to start his career at the school with four consecutive 300-yard passing games and pushing his total to 15,315.

Ward was 24 of 34 passing for 404 yards and three touchdowns against USF. He was intercepted once.

“He’s been great for a long time,” said Miami receiver Isaiah Horton, who had a TD catch Saturday night. “As soon as he got on campus, he made his mark instantly. I love playing with him.”

All-time leaderboard

In addition to Gabriel and Ward, the other quarterbacks officially recognized by the NCAA to have topped 15,000 yards passing are:

— Case Keenum, 19,217 yards at Houston from 2007-11. Keenum now plays for the Houston Texans and will miss this season because of injury.

— Timmy Chang, 17,072 yards at Hawaii from 2000-04. He’s now the school’s head coach.

— Tyson Bagent: 17,034 yards at Division II’s Shepherd from 2018-22. He’s now the backup for the Chicago Bears.

— Landry Jones, 16,646 yards at Oklahoma from 2009-12. He made five starts for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2015-17.

— Bo Cordell, 16,265 yards at Division II’s Tusculum from 2009-13, before going on to play for Montreal in the CFL.

— Graham Harrell, 15,793 yards at Texas Tech from 2005-08. He’s now offensive coordinator at Purdue.

— Sam Hartman, 15,656 yards at Wake Forest and Notre Dame from 2018-23. He is a rookie with the Washington Commanders.

— Austin Reed, 15,550 yards at Division II’s West Florida and then Western Kentucky from 2020-23. He’s now on the Bears’ practice squad.

— Bo Nix, 15,351 yards at Auburn and Oregon from 2019-23. He’s the starter for the Denver Broncos.

— John Matocha, 15,102 yards at Division II’s Colorado School of Mines from 2019-23. He was in camp this year with Toronto of the CFL.

— Ty Detmer, 15,031 yards at BYU from 1988-91. He played 14 NFL seasons.

___

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Walsh was in Kyiv as a nurse and aid worker in the early days of the war in Ukraine. Ryan Routh was there to recruit foreign soldiers to fight the Russians. But Walsh never saw him make much progress and instead watched him grow increasingly angry and unhinged, kicking a panhandler, threatening to burn down a music studio that slighted him and speaking of his own children with seething hatred.

Just as troubling, she said, was Routh’s obsessive, oddly specific plotting to assassinate Russian President Vladimir Putin, describing the various explosives, poisons and cross-border maneuvers that Routh would employ “to kill him in his sleep.”

“Ryan Routh is a ticking time bomb,” she recalled telling U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials in an hourlong interview upon returning to the United States at Dulles International Airport near Washington in June 2022. She says she later repeated her concerns in separate tips to both the FBI and Interpol, the international policing group.

“There is one person you need to watch,” she said. “And that is Ryan Routh.”

Walsh says she never heard back about her tips and she did not think much more about Routh until she saw him in the news last Sunday as the 58-year-old accused of stalking Donald Trump at the former president’s golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, in an apparent assassination attempt.

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Walsh’s account was one of at least four reports to the U.S. government that, while not direct threats to Trump, raised suspicions about Routh in the years leading up to his arrest. Others included a tip to the FBI in 2019 about Routh being in possession of a firearm after a felony conviction, an online report by an aid worker to the State Department last year questioning Routh’s military recruiting tactics, and Routh’s own interview with Customs and Border Protection about those efforts, prompting a referral for a possible inquiry by Homeland Security Investigations.

What was done in response that could have stopped Routh or at least put him under greater scrutiny is not entirely clear. The agencies involved either did not respond to queries from The Associated Press, have no record of such a report or had questions about whether the report warranted further investigation.

But some people are asking whether federal agencies are vigilant enough or even equipped enough to deal with a growing number of potential threats that are brought to their attention every day.

“Federal agencies ought to be on the highest alert to detect and combat these threats,” said Republican Sen Chuck Grassley of Iowa, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. “Congress and the American people need assurance that the federal government is doing all it can.”

Walsh, who lives just a few miles from Trump’s golf course, said she cannot help but think all of this could have been avoided.

“The authorities have definitely dropped the ball on this,” she said. “They were warned.”

Sarah Adams, an ex-CIA officer who was behind the State Department tip, said she decided to act after learning Routh was trying to recruit former Afghan fighters with false promises of spots in the Ukrainian military.

She said she drafted a bulletin urging the 50 humanitarian aid groups she was helping in Ukraine to keep Routh at arm’s length, and she had her company send a similar online report to the State Department.

“There was plenty to look into,” said Adams, who lives in Tampa, Florida. “I don’t know if they even assigned someone to work it.”

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said there is no record of any complaints about Routh. He said he could not rule out that “someone didn’t have a communication with somebody somewhere.”

Similarly, Customs and Border Protection said it could not confirm Walsh had a meeting with one of its agents because it does not comment on individual cases. The FBI also declined to confirm Walsh’s warning, citing a policy of not commenting on ongoing investigations. Interpol did not respond to a request for comment.

Walsh showed the AP notes that she took while talking to Customs and Border Protection, and a text she sent to a friend about her messages to the FBI and Interpol with a time stamp soon after she sent them.

Routh, a North Carolina construction worker who in recent years moved to Hawaii, was being held on weapons charges related to the Trump case. His federal public defender, Kristy Militello, did not respond to messages seeking comment.

A self-styled mercenary leader, Routh was never shy about speaking out to anyone who would listen about his dangerous, sometimes violent plans to insert himself into conflicts around the world.

He was interviewed by The New York Times, photographed by the AP and other news organizations and appeared in videos from Kyiv making his pitch for foreign fighters. He put out a self-published book last year on Amazon, “Ukraine’s Unwinnable War,” in which he writes of the wisdom of a well-timed killing of a world leader to change history.

“You are free to assassinate Trump,” Routh wrote, referring to Iran in retaliation for the former president’s decision to abandon the U.S. nuclear deal with that country. Routh went on to describe Trump, whom he had voted for in 2016, as a “fool” and “buffoon” for the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and for pushing a negotiated settlement to the war in Ukraine.

Walsh said she initially found the wiry, floppy-haired Routh to be just bizarre. But as time went on, she got a darker vibe from the way Routh lurked in the streets, seemed to be everywhere and kept tabs on everyone.

She watched as Routh kicked a homeless man begging for money and then snarled, “The Ukrainians should be paying me for what I am doing here!” She said he talked of his grown children with such hatred — “I wish I never had them” — that it frightened her. She remembers how he threatened to burn down a music studio because people there laughed at him over a song he wrote.

“Ryan was the kind of guy who would blow up a building on Tuesday, just because he felt like it,” Walsh said.

Routh’s musings about killing Putin were echoed in his book published last year that describes an even more far-fetched plan for someone with no military experience: launching thousands of weaponized drones to flatten Putin’s many residences.

But in the end, he wrote, the Ukrainians and disaffected Russians he hoped to recruit as accomplices lost their “courage and will” to pull it off.

In 2019, three years before Routh flew to Kyiv to build a foreign legion, the FBI followed up on a tip that he was in possession of a firearm despite felony convictions from years earlier.

But when questioned, the alleged tipster backed off and did not verify providing the initial information. The FBI then referred the matter to Hawaiian law enforcement for further investigation. Honolulu police confirmed this week they were looking into it.

In June 2023, Routh was pulled aside by Customs and Border Protection agents at the Honolulu airport when returning from Ukraine, Poland and Turkey, and asked about his activities overseas.

As first reported by the website Just the News and confirmed in congressional testimony this past week, documents show Routh told them he had been recruiting as many as 100 fighters from Afghanistan, Moldova and Taiwan, and that his wife was paying for his efforts.

Routh also gave agents a business card that claimed he was the director of a group called the International Volunteer Center.

The documents state that the agents referred Routh’s case to Homeland Security Investigations for further scrutiny but it declined to pursue the matter.

In congressional testimony Wednesday, Katrina Berger, executive associate director of the agency, noted that it gets hundreds of such requests a day and that Routh’s comments did not rise to the level to take him into “immediate custody.”

Asked specifically to confirm whether a further investigation was declined, she said she was not sure and would look into it.

Routh’s criminal history in his native Greensboro, North Carolina, includes a 2002 arrest for eluding a traffic stop and barricading himself from officers with a fully automatic machine gun and a “weapon of mass destruction,” which turned out to be an explosive with a 10-inch-long fuse.

In 2010, police searched a warehouse Routh owned and found more than 100 stolen items, from power tools and building supplies to kayaks and spa tubs. Police alleged in an affidavit that he was selling the items to purchase crack cocaine.

In both felony cases, court records show judges gave Routh either probation or a suspended sentence, allowing him to escape prison time.

Tracy Fulk, a now-retired Greensboro police officer who arrested Routh in the long-ago armed standoff, said she was not surprised by last week’s news about Routh.

“Remembering all the alerts and run-ins and stuff,” she said, “he was kind of ‘out there.’”

___

Associated Press writers Michael Biesecker, Eric Tucker, Matthew Lee and Rebecca Santana in Washington; Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu; Makiya Seminera in Greensboro, North Carolina; Gary D. Robertson in Raleigh, North Carolina; and Joshua Goodman in Miami; and news researcher Rhonda Shafner in New York contributed to this report.

Throughout the game, five different bills are featured to educate players on how legislation can prevent future tragedies.

If a player collects all the bills — then they have the option to survive or escape the game.

Joaquin was just 17 when he was murdered in the school shooting.

Since his death, his parents, Manuel and Patricia Oliver, have advocated against gun violence and for gun control policies.

The fire happened at the facility in the 17500 block of Northwest 2nd Avenue.

Footage showed smoke pouring out of the building as firefighters made their way inside.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue officials said crews responded around 10 a.m. and found heavy smoke coming from the building.

Inside, they found multiple storage units on fire. Officials said the large amount of units inside the two-story building made it difficult and dangerous to fight.

“[It] presented a lot of challenges to actually get to the fire, because it actually had two levels inside and anytime you have a public storage facility there’s a lot of different various content in there that can catch fire and create a dangerous, non-visible smoke conditions as well,” Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Division Chief Michael Eng said.

Over 35 fire units responded to the scene as ladder trucks were deployed to access the roof and cut openings for ventilation.

The fire was brought under control, and crews were monitoring for hot spots.

Eng said it was hard to tell how many storage units were impacted but he said at least three were “fully engulfed.”

One firefighter who suffered minor injuries was taken to a local hospital.

Before Miami-Dade Fire Rescue showed up, Perry Hilton says he was at the storage facility trying to grab a few things out of his unit when he first noticed the smoke.

“When I opened the door I saw smoke coming from the back end of the storage unit,” Hilton said. “I grabbed the fire extinguisher from her and I tried to put out the flames.”

Hilton said the fire was too much.

“The fire and smoke was coming so fast. I told everybody let’s get out,” Hilton said.

Hilton said he later learned from a fire official that his unit was destroyed. He said he and his fiancé had many of their personal belongings inside.

“Everything that I had inside there was lost,” Hilton said.

Hilton admitted that he’s upset, but in that moment, he realized what was more important.

“I could have tried to get my stuff out and not worry about the fire but I chose to make sure everyone in the building got out,” Hilton said. “Had I not gone there this morning, the person working would have not known there was a fire in there.”

An employee told NBC6 they would be closed possibly until Monday.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The shooting happened around 1 a.m. in the 300 block of Northwest 19th Avenue, Broward Sheriff’s Office officials said.

First responders arrived at the scene and found the man suffering from a gunshot on the street corner.

He was taken to an area hospital for treatment, officials said.

BSO didn’t release the man’s identity or any information about what led up to the shooting but said it’s under investigation.