While you were sleeping, we compiled the biggest stories of the day in one place. Each story has a quick and easy summary, so you're prepared for whatever the day brings. Just click on the links if you want to know more!
1. Person pulled from canal near Palm Beach International Airport
Palm Beach County Fire Rescue crews launched a water rescue near Palm Beach International Airport early Monday morning.
Emergency vehicles blocked the ramp from Southern Blvd. to South Congress Ave. as crews searched the C-51 Canal around 6 a.m.
No car could be seen by WPTV's Chopper 5, but a person was pulled from the water and taken to the hospital. The person's condition is unknown.
2. Hell may not have frozen over, but parts of Palm Beach and Okeechobee counties could
A Frost Advisory remains in place for inland Palm Beach and Okeechobee Counties until 8 a.m.
Once again, it was so cool that iguanas could experience cold shock and fall out of trees. This afternoon, highs in the low-mid 60s with plenty of sunshine.
Tomorrow, morning temperatures in the upper 40s-low 50s and afternoon highs in the low 70s. Increasing clouds throughout the day, then late-day showers possible continuing overnight.
3. Tax season is here and it could be more painful than normal
An IRS worker shortage, an enormous workload from administering pandemic-related programs and stalled legislation that would have given the agency billions of dollars for more expeditiously processing returns will combine to cause taxpayers pain this filing season.
Agency officials are already warning filers that "in many areas, we are unable to deliver the amount of service and enforcement that our taxpayers and tax system deserves and needs," as IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig put it earlier in the month.
Delays in processing are to be expected -- especially because the IRS says it still is working through 2020 tax returns.
4. Cruise ship turns away from Miami and it had nothing to do with COVID
A cruise ship that was supposed to dock in Miami on Saturday sailed to the Bahamas instead after a U.S. judge granted an order to seize the vessel as part of a lawsuit over unpaid fuel.
The lawsuit was filed in a Miami federal court by Peninsula Petroleum Far East against Crystal Symphony under a maritime practice where a U.S. Marshal goes aboard the vessel and takes charge of it once it enters U.S. waters.
Passengers told news outlets that they'll be taken by ferry from the Bahamas to a South Florida port. It was unclear how many passengers were aboard, with one news outlet reporting 300 and another, 700. According to the company website, the vessel can carry up to 848 passengers.
5. The latest on rising tensions in Ukraine:
The State Department is ordering the families of all American personnel at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv to leave the country and allowing non-essential staff to leave Ukraine.
NATO says it’s putting extra forces on standby and sending more ships and fighter jets to eastern Europe as Russia continues its troop build-up near Ukraine.
Meanwhile, European Union foreign ministers are meeting to put on a fresh display of unity, amid concern about divisions within the 27-nation bloc over how best to handle Russia.
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On This Day In History
After 28 years of hiding in the jungles of Guam, local farmers discover Shoichi Yokoi, a Japanese sergeant who fought in World War II, on January 24, 1972.
In the jungles of Guam, he carved survival tools and for the next three decades waited for the return of the Japanese and his next orders. After he was discovered in 1972, he was finally discharged and sent home to Japan, where he was hailed as a national hero. He subsequently married and returned to Guam for his honeymoon. His handcrafted survival tools and threadbare uniform are on display in the Guam Museum in Agana.
Remember, you can join Mike Trim and Ashleigh Walters every weekday on WPTV NewsChannel 5 beginning at 4:30 a.m. And you can always watch the latest news from WPTV anytime on your favorite streaming device. Just search for "WPTV."
