WKMG-TV finalist for National Association of Broadcasters Service to America Award for 4th consecutive year
WKMG-TV News 6 and ClickOrlando.com have been committed to helping Floridians make ends meet since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, which has put a financial strain on countless Americans.
Motorcyclist killed in crash near Pine Hills, troopers say
A Sky 6 aerial view of a crash involving a motorcycle and an SUV in Pine Hills on March 16, 2021. (Image: Sky 6/WKMG)ORLANDO, Fla. โ A 20-year-old motorcycle rider was killed Tuesday afternoon following a crash in the Orlando area of Pine Hills, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. The two-vehicle crash involving the motorcycle and an SUV happened around 3 p.m. at Silver Star Road and Kingsland Avenue, FHP Lt. Kim Montes said. The motorcycle rider was pronounced dead at the crash scene. FHP said a 47-year-old Orlando woman was heading westbound on Silver Star Road and the motorcyclist was heading eastbound on Silver Star Road.
Congressman Soto talks $1.9 trillion relief bill, Puerto Rico statehood
President Biden last week signed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan as the world marked one year since the World Health Organization declared the virus a pandemic. [TRENDING: SpaceX launches 60 Starlink satellites | Weekend vaccine events for OCPS employees | Family speaks after deadly shooting]U.S. Rep. Darren Soto, D-Kissimmee, discussed how the relief package will impact Central Floridians on โThe Weekly on ClickOrlando.com with Justin Warmoth.โAdSoto also talked about the vaccine rollout, the possibility of Puerto Rico becoming a state and the ongoing security threat at the U.S. Capitol. Use the form below to sign up for the ClickOrlando.com 4pm Trending newsletter, sent every weekday.
Kidnapping victim raped, left on side of Marion County road, deputies say
MARION COUNTY, Fla. โ The Marion County Sheriffโs Office is asking for the publicโs help after a woman was kidnapped and raped on Tuesday. The victim was forced into a vehicle near the 9000 block of Baseline Road between the hours of 8 a.m. and 9 a.m., according to deputies. The victim was then left on the side of the road near the 8000 block of Highway 314. Bloom said the victim was found hours later thanks to a passerby who spotted the victim and called 911. Anyone with any information on this attack is asked to call the Marion County Sheriffโs Office at 352-732-9111 or Crime Stoppers at 352-368-7867.
16-year-old accused of killing girlfriendโs aunt at Avenue Apartments near Ocoee
OCOEE, Fla. โ A 16-year-old boy was arrested in connection with the shooting death of his girlfriendโs aunt at an Orange County apartment complex, deputies said Tuesday. Michael Lecorn was arrested in the shooting of 41-year-old Fonda Gandy, who was wounded around 10:55 p.m. Sunday at the Avenue Apartments off Vizcaya Road near Ocoee. That woman was also shot at when she was attempting to leave the apartment but she wasnโt injured, deputies said. Records show that 14 casings and one live round were found near the bottom half of the stairs and the living room. Mikayla Dahl, who lives at the apartments, said she saw a large crime scene at the complex.
Woman nearly loses arm in tiger attack at Carole Baskinโs Big Cat Rescue
TAMPA, Fla. โ A volunteer nearly had her arm torn off by a tiger Thursday morning at Big Cat Rescue, a Tampa animal sanctuary owned by Carole Baskin, WTSP-TV reported. โIt is against our protocols for anyone to stick any part of their body into a cage with a cat in it,โ Big Cat Rescue wrote in a statement, according to WTSP-TV. Couser was taken to a hospital for treatment of serious injuries after staff and other volunteers at Big Cat Rescue sought to stop the bleeding, Baskin said. According to the TV station, another worker heard the attack and came running as the tiger dropped its grip. WTSP-TV, citing Hillsborough County Fire Rescue officials, said the victim was taken to a hospital with serious injuries.
WATCH LIVE: Eta briefings from News 6 weather team
ORLANDO, Fla. โ With Eta projected to impact Central Florida, News 6 wants to keep you as informed as possible. A News 6 meteorologist on Wednesday will provide a weather update in the video player above. [SIGN UP TO BE A PINPOINT WEATHER INSIDER: Subscribe to our newsletter]Computer models show Eta making landfall Thursday north of Tampa and tracking across the state, near Jacksonville. Several Central Florida counties are under tropical storm warnings and watches. Thanks for visiting ClickOrlando.com, and stay safe!
Polk County deputies shoot, kill suicidal man who charged them with machete, sheriff says
Deputies attempted to use a can of clear out, a chemical agent, to draw out Mejia Santel, but it had not impact. When a deputy reached down to pick up the can, Mejia Santel charged the deputies, according to the sheriff. When Mejia Santel got within four feet of the deputies they opened fire, two deputies shooting six times. The sheriff said he wished he could give his deputies โpixie dustโ to โmake things wellโ when dealing with persons with mental health issues. His deputies would have continued to negotiate with Mejia Santel if he hadnโt charged with them with a machete, according to Judd.
LIVE TRACK, MODELS, MORE: Florida now in the cone for Hurricane Delta
ORLANDO, Fla. โ Hurricane Delta formed Monday evening near Jamaica and now the latest track shows a portion of Floridaโs Panhandle in the stormโs cone. Delta was upgraded from a tropical storm to a hurricane during NHCโs 8 p.m. advisory. Here is the 11 p.m. advisory and forecast track for #Delta from the National Hurricane Center. The post-tropical cyclone is currently centered along the northern coast of the Yucatan peninsula and will move inland through Monday,โ the latest advisory read. Government officials in Mexico canceled the tropical warning and tropical storm watch along the northern coast of the Yucatan peninsula Monday afternoon, according to the NHC.
U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz discusses coronavirus relief bill on โThe Weeklyโ
Meanwhile, millions of Americans are still struggling to make ends meet after the $600 per week federal assistance that was provided in the last coronavirus relief bill expired more than a month ago. U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz, (R) District 6, joined anchor Justin Warmoth on โThe Weekly on ClickOrlando.comโ to discuss why lawmakers havenโt been able to come to an agreement on what the bill should provide. โI found it disappointing that we were called back by Speaker Nancy Pelosi and she only wanted to discuss this post office issue,โ Waltz said. โShe didnโt want to deal with unemployment, she didnโt want to deal with liability reform for businesses, didnโt want to deal with state and local issues in terms of their financial needs. Watch โThe Weekly on ClickOrlando.comโ every Sunday at 7:30 a.m. on News 6.
WATCH LIVE AT NOON: Gov. DeSantis holds discussion at Universal Orlando
Ron DeSantis will hold a roundtable discussion about theme parks Wednesday at Universal Orlando. The roundtable, which will be streamed live on ClickOrlando.com in the video player above, is scheduled to start at noon. Universal and SeaWorld Orlando reopened to guests in early June after closing months earlier due to the coronavirus pandemic. DeSantis visit to Universal comes as Florida continues to see a drop in new daily cases of coronavirus. Tuesday marked the 10th straight day that the state reported fewer than 5,000 new cases.
News 6โฒs โDriving Changeโ initiative leads to national community service award
By now, youโve probably seen some of our โDriving Changeโ reports. Hosted by the National Association of Broadcasters Leadership Foundation, the Service to America Awards recognize outstanding community service by local broadcasters. That initiated a campaign WKMG calls Driving Change, a relentless multi-faceted, multi-year campaign led by Matt Austin and WKMG-TV/ClickOrlando.com to strengthen Floridaโs texting and driving law. I am very proud that my station allowed us to do just that.โHereโs more on the community service effort, โDriving Change: Floridaโs Texting and Driving Law,โ which was the force behind the win. Last year, WKMG TV was honored with this award for their work to change Florida law to allow first responders suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to get the benefits they deserved.