MIAMI (AP) - Your daily look at news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today.
NEW HARRY POTTER ROLLER COASTER COMING TO UNIVERSAL ORLANDO
The theme park resort announced Monday that it would be building a new roller coaster that will showcase favorite characters from J.K. Rowling’s fantasy series. The coaster will be built in the location of The Dragon Challenge ride, which is closing permanently in early September. The new ride will be in the Hogsmeade area of the Islands of Adventure park. The resort said on its official blog that the ride will be unlike any other rides at the park and it will be for the entire family.
SEE YOU LATER, ALLIGATOR! REPTILE CAPTURED OFF MIAMI BEACH
An alligator was spotted Sunday swimming in the Atlantic Ocean near the South Pointe Park pier. News outlets quoted viewers who said it took officials about two hours to capture the gator. No one was injured. The Miami Beach Police Department posted a photo of the gator on its official Twitter page. Alligators typically stay in fresh water but can tolerate brief periods of time in salt water, according to wildlife officials.
MAN GETS LIFE FOR FATALLY BEATING WOMAN WHILE ON FLAKKA
Derren Morrison was sentenced on second-degree murder charges by Circuit Judge Cheryl Caracuzzo for the 2015 death of Louise Clinton. The grandmother died on her 83rd birthday. Morrison told investigators he smoked flakka hours before the attack. Relatives said he was claiming someone was about to kill him. He went to Clinton’s home, knocked and began beating her as soon as she opened the door. He told police he thought Clinton was a blood-covered demon who was trying to kill him.
OLDEST MANATEE IN CAPTIVITY DIED FROM DROWNING
Officials from the South Florida Museum in Bradenton said during a news conference Monday that Snooty the manatee somehow gained access to the 30-by-30 inch tube and was not able to turn around. Museum executives said the panel on the tube was last opened five years ago and is for emergency use only. Manatees usually surface every 2-5 minutes, but can stay underwater for 20 minutes. They cannot swim backward. Snooty was the longest-living manatee in captivity, and turned 69 two days before his death.
HAITIANS SEEK LAWMAKERS’ HELP FOR IMMIGRATION PROTECTIONS
The “temporary protected status” allowing roughly 50,000 Haitians to legally live and work here typically was renewed every 18 months. But the U.S. Department of Homeland Security most recently extended those protections only for six months, through January 2018. Marleine Bastien of Haitian Women of Miami said Monday that Homeland Security has sent letters to Haitians in the program urging them to prepare to return to their Caribbean homeland.
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