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. West Palm Beach Twitter troll arrested for election interference
The notorious Twitter troll and alt-right figure Douglass Mackey, aka Ricky Vaughn on Twitter, was arrested Wednesday on federal charges of election interference stemming from allegations of a voter disinformation campaign during the 2016 election.
Mackey is accused of having used Twitter to mislead voters into casting their ballots via text. According to the complaint, 4,900 unique telephone numbers texted their votes to the number that was provided. He was involved in numerous group direct messages, including one with the name "War Room," wherein dozens of people shared ideas about how to influence the election, according to federal prosecutors.
One of Mackey's Twitter handle's identified in the complaint, @Ricky_Vaughn99, was ranked in an analysis by the MIT Media Lab as the 107th most important influence in the then-upcoming 2016 election, above more widely known handles, including NBC News and Stephen Colbert, according to court records.
2. Where are all the vaccines for Palm Beach County? Publix:
The state is now diverting first-round vaccines away from the Palm Beach County department of health to Publix locations.
State Rep. Emily Slosberg, D-Boca Raton says she already reached out to the state's emergency management office to request more vaccines be sent to the department of health for the 73,000 seniors stuck on a waiting list.
As we mentioned yesterday, Publix has been opening their website portal to sign up for vaccines, but many seniors are spending hours waiting at a computer and still not getting appointments. The next opportunity will be tomorrow at 6 a.m.
3. Sunfest canceled for second year in a row
South Florida's largest waterfront music festival announced Wednesday it is not holding the 2021 event in light of the coronavirus pandemic. The nonprofit also announced dates for 2022.
Anyone who purchased a 2020 ticket will have the opportunity to roll over the same ticket to 2022.
WPTV checked and confirmed that another popular entertainment event, the ArtiGras Fine Arts Festival, is still moving forward and is scheduled to take place on Feb. 13 and 14 at Gardens North County District Park in Palm Beach Gardens.
4. Looking for a job? Fort Pierce hosting virtual job fair today
The city of Fort Pierce is holding its sixth annual job fair on Jan. 28 from 9 a.m. to noon.
More than 80 employers are signed up and hundreds of people are already registered as job seekers. There are positions available across the Treasure Coast, but focused on the Fort Pierce area.
5. Where are those stimulus checks? Here's where we're at:
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Wednesday that while he remains hopeful to pass a bipartisan stimulus package, he said Senate Democrats are prepared to go at it alone.
With exactly 50 senators caucusing with Democrats, there is little margin for error. Without any GOP votes, all 50 members along with Vice President Kamala Harris would have to vote in favor of the package.
Getting a bill without bipartisan support would mean Democrats would be forced to use a process through budget reconciliation, which cannot be filibustered.
Today's Forecast
Fire Weather Watch for Okeechobee and Indian River Counties:
Get your complete hour-by-hour forecast here.
On This Day In History
Today marks the 35th anniversary of the Challenger space shuttle explosion, a disaster that killed seven people 73 seconds after launch.
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."
