Scammers stealing food stamps from people who need it the most is an ongoing problem in Florida and elsewhere but right now there are limited solutions available. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in 2023 Florida reported 356 claims regarding stolen SNAP benefits. Nationally, more than 59,000 homes have been impacted, amounting to more than $30 million in lost benefits. Judit Quintana said that she gives thanks to God for the assistance he’s given her. The help? Her food assistance, SNAP benefits card. But on April 6, when she went to use it, she found that her account of $200 w ..read more

A mother and daughter were killed and another family member was critically injured in a Hialeah crash involving a 14-year-old who was joyriding in his parents’ car, police said. The crash happened just before 8 p.m. Tuesday in the ​​400 block of Southeast 5th Street. Hialeah Police officials said the teen had taken his parents’ car out for a ride with friends when he crashed into another car at an intersection. Inside the other car were a mother, her daughter, and an aunt who had gone out to buy food. “Three minors. The driver, 14 years old, no license, decided to take the parents’ car for a j ..read more

Authorities have identified the two men who were killed when a small boat and a yacht collided near Boca Chita Key over the weekend. Jorge Marenco, 49, and Jose Turcios, 51, were killed in the Sunday night collision on Biscayne Bay, according to a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission report released Wednesday. The two men were among seven people who were on a 17-foot center console Key West when it collided with a 51-foot Azimut cabin cruiser that also had seven people on board, the report said. The Azimut was traveling from Elliot Key toward Dinner Key Marina and the Key West was ..read more

The Miami Heat beat Boston with an unprecedented barrage of 3-pointers on Wednesday night to erase the home-court advantage the Celtics worked all season to establish. Tyler Herro had 24 points and 14 assists, hitting six of Miami’s 23 3-pointers — the most in a playoff game in franchise history — to lead the Heat to a 111-101 victory over top-seeded Boston and tie the first-round playoff series at one game apiece. Bam Adebayo had 21 points and 10 rebounds, and new Celtics nemesis Caleb Martin also had 21 points for the Heat, who shot 53.5% (23 of 43) from beyond the arc to bounce back after a ..read more

A dramatic scene unfolded at a Miami Beach CVS in February when a man was captured on video attempting to kidnap a child in broad daylight, and now the man who helped police track down the suspect is speaking out for the first time. Deven Surajpal was visiting Miami Beach from Tampa when he witnessed the frightening incident that happened back on Feb. 8 at a CVS at 7400 Collins Avenue. Surveillance video of the attempted kidnapping has since gone viral, and garnered millions of views across multiple online platforms. Surajpal spoke to NBC6 on Wednesday about the ordeal and described how he ch ..read more

Crews were battling a grass fire in southwest Miami-Dade Wednesday evening that was leading to closures of the Florida’s Turnpike. The fire was reported in the area of Southwest 112th Avenue and Southwest 256th Street. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue officials said they received a call around 4 p.m. for the fire, which was around 20 acres. Multiple fire rescue crews responded and began an attack to knock down the fire. The Florida Forest Service also responded. No injuries were reported. The fire was causing some closures along the nearby Florida’s Turnpike. No other information was immediately known ..read more

New documents detail more claims against a Key Biscayne gymnastics coach accused of sexually assaulting two of his underage students. Forensic interviews obtained by NBC6 on Wednesday include two young girls who said coach Oscar Olea allegedly touched them inappropriately while in gymnastics class. The alleged victims, who are just 4 and 7 years old, were interviewed last year, records showed. They told investigators Olea touched them in their privates but did not have sex with them. Oscar Olea The 7-year-old who was interviewed in December told investigators during summer camp that “Oscar is ..read more

A man is facing multiple charges after authorities said he voted in an election in Miami-Dade despite not being a U.S. citizen. Lazaro Valle-Villar, 74, is facing charges of voting as an unqualified voter, false affirmation regarding voting or elections, submission of false voter registration information and submitting a false statement to the Secretary of State, the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday. Lazaro Valle-Villar Prosecutors said Valle-Villar became a registered voter in Miami-Dade despite being a non-citizen, then voted in the Nov. 2, 2021 election. On his Florida ..read more

Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests. At the University of Texas at Austin, dozens of local police and state troopers formed a line to prevent students from marching through the campus, eventually clashing with the protesters and detaining multiple people. And at the University of Southern California, police removed several tents, then got into a back-and-forth tugging match with protesters over tents before falli ..read more

No, TikTok will not suddenly disappear from your phone. Nor will you go to jail if you continue using it after it is banned. After years of attempts to ban the Chinese-owned app, including by former President Donald Trump, a measure to outlaw the popular video-sharing app has won congressional approval and been signed by President Biden. The measure gives Beijing-based parent company ByteDance nine months to sell the company, with a possible additional three months if a sale is in progress. If it doesn’t, TikTok will be banned. So what does this mean for you, a TikTok user, or perhap ..read more