It’s Monday, June 29th - and NBC 6 has the top stories you should know for the day.
No. 1 - Beaches along Broward will be closed during the Fourth of July weekend due to concerns of the coronavirus, county mayors announced on Sunday.
At a news conference, Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis, along with Hallandale Beach Mayor Joy F. Cooper and Lauderdale By the Sea Mayor Christopher Vincent, announced beaches would be closed starting Friday, July 3rd and ending Sunday, July 5th. Palm Beach County Mayor Dave Kerner confirmed Sunday the closures of beaches in his county would last between Thursday, July 2nd to Sunday, July 5th.
No. 2 - Only on 6, a demonstrator who attended a Black Lives Matter protest in Downtown Miami Saturday night is claiming he was injured when police fired rubber bullets into the crowd during a brief face off on Interstate 95.
Jonathan Gatrelle was just one of many protesters who were marching on the busy interstate that night. Police began firing into the crowd when the group would not get off the highway - creating a long line of cars. To hear what he has to say, click here for a report from NBC 6 reporter Arlene Borenstein.
No. 3 - A protester whose bruised, bloody face made national news after she was shot with a rubber bullet by Fort Lauderdale Police has been invited to brief the House Subcommittee on Civil Rights & Civil Liberties on Monday.
LaToya Ratlieff was participating a May 31 protest in Fort Lauderdale following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis when she was hit in the head by what police call a "foam baton." Video from the scene showed the 34-year-old Ratlieff across the street from police, before a crack sounded and Ratlieff screamed and fell to the ground. Seconds later people rushed towards her, put her in a car and rushed her to the hospital.
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No. 4 - Four employees at Zoo Miami have tested positive for the coronavirus, park officials announced Sunday evening.
According to Zoo Miami, one of the employees had direct contact with the public, but the park says social distancing guidelines were being followed. As a result, the park’s interactive animal feeding sections have been suspended until further notice. Zoo Miami says the four employees have been sent home and contact tracing has been initiated.
No. 5 - Over three dozen descendants of Confederate soldiers named on a memorial in one North Florida city are suing over plans to remove it.
38 descendants are listed in a lawsuit saying the city of St. Augustine voted to make the move “without first undergoing the legally required review process to prevent its damage or destruction." City commissioners voted 3-2 last week to remove the monument from a plaza in the city, where it has been in place since 1879.
No. 6 - Weatherwise, the warm weather sticks around to start the work week in South Florida with temperatures feeling like the triple digits. Keep your NBC 6 app handy for push alerts on any severe weather as well as First Alert Doppler 6000.
