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! You can watch the latest LIVE on WPTV here from 4:30 a.m. to 7 a.m.
1. What happened at Shake Shack? The tale of three tweets
Shock and anger broke out over Twitter when the Police Benevolent Association tweeted that some sort of cleaning solution or disinfectant was found in NYPD officers' beverages.
#BREAKING When NYC police officers cannot even take meal without coming under attack, it is clear that environment in which we work has deteriorated to a critical level. We cannot afford to let our guard down for even a moment. pic.twitter.com/fbMMDOKqbV
— NYC PBA (@NYCPBA) June 16, 2020
Shake Shack tweeted that they were horrified by the report and promised to help the police in their investigation.
We are horrified by the reports of police officers injured at our 200 Broadway Shack in Manhattan. We are working with the police in their investigation right now.
— SHAKE SHACK (@shakeshack) June 16, 2020
A short time later, Chief of Detectives Rodney Harrison tweeted that after a thorough investigation, the NYPD found no criminality by Shake Shack’s employees.
After a thorough investigation by the NYPD’s Manhattan South investigators, it has been determined that there was no criminality by shake shack’s employees.
— Chief Rodney Harrison (@NYPDDetectives) June 16, 2020
Reports say that it appears to be a case of an improperly cleaned machine, residue from a cleaning agent or bleach was still inside.
All the officers were taken to the hospital, but released a short time later, officials said.
2. Can you hear me now? Cell phone companies experience major outage
Downdetector.com, a site where users can report outages, noted issues with all major wireless carriers including Sprint, AT&T, U.S. Cellular, Verizon and T-Mobile on Monday. T-Mobile seemed to experience the largest outage and Verizon denied that they were seeing issues.
#Instagramdown was trending on Twitter and some social media users noticed that Facebook Messenger wasn't working properly.
What happened? We're not sure yet, but the FCC Chairman has promised an investigation.
The T-Mobile network outage is unacceptable. The @FCC is launching an investigation. We're demanding answers—and so are American consumers.
— Ajit Pai (@AjitPaiFCC) June 16, 2020
3. Palm Beach County surpasses 9,000 cases of coronavirus
Coronavirus cases continued to surge in Florida with 1,758 in one day as the death toll increased by 7, including 3 in Palm Beach County, the Florida Department of Health announced Monday.
For 12 of past 13 days, the cases have been four digits, including 2,016 Sunday. The record was 2,581 Saturday.
The mortality rate involving positive cases is 3.8 percent in the state compared with 5.4 percent in the United States and 5.4 percent worldwide, which passed 438,000 deaths and 8.1 million cases Monday.
How can you stay safe? A doctor ranked the chance of coronavirus exposure by establishment.
4. Play ball! Please? Major league baseball season in jeopardy
Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred says there might be no major league games this year.
This comes amid a breakdown in talks between teams and the players' union on how to split up money in a season delayed by the coronavirus pandemic.
The league also revealed several players have tested positive for COVID-19.
The NFL also reported several players testing positive including Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott. Will this hurt the chances of a NFL season this year? Only time will tell.
5. And the Oscar goes to... April
For the fourth time in its history, the Oscars are being postponed.
The 93rd Academy Awards will now be held on April 25, 2021, eight weeks later than originally planned because of the coronavirus pandemic's effects on the movie industry.
The 74th Tony Awards, originally set for June 7, has been postponed indefinitely.
Today's Forecast
A cool and clear morning. A mostly sunny and breezy afternoon with low humidity.
Get your complete hour-by-hour forecast here.
On This Day In History
On June 16, 1884, the first roller coaster in America opens at Coney Island, in Brooklyn, New York. Known as a switchback railway, it was the brainchild of LaMarcus Thompson, traveled approximately six miles per hour and cost a nickel to ride. The new entertainment was an instant success and by the turn of the century there were hundreds of roller coasters around the country.
Remember, you can join Mike Trim and Ashleigh Walters every weekday on WPTV NewsChannel 5 beginning at 4:30 a.m.
