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. Fired Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores sues NFL and three teams
Fired Miami Dolphins Coach Brian Flores has sued the NFL, Dolphins, Giants and Broncos, alleging racist hiring practices by the league.
In the 58-page lawsuit, Flores alleges Dolphins owner Stephen Ross attempted to incentivize him to "tank," or purposely lose games, shortly after he was hired in 2019, with Ross allegedly offering Flores $100,000 for every loss that season.
Flores also alleged the Giants interviewed him last month for their head-coaching vacancy for no other reason than compliance with the NFL's Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview minority candidates for their open positions.
2. Pfizer files for emergency authorization of its COVID-19 vaccine for kids under 5
Pfizer filed with the Food and Drug Administration for authorization of its COVID-19 vaccine for young children on Tuesday.
The emergency authorization would include children who range in age from 6 months to 4 years old.
In mid-December, Pfizer reported that its vaccine did not produce an adequate response in children aged between 2 and 4. As a result, the company said children in that age group who were participating in the trial would need a third dose of the vaccine two months after their second shot.
The FDA will weigh a two-shot regimen of the Pfizer vaccine for young children, though the company will continue to research if a three-dose regimen produces a better immune response.
3. The Winter Olympics begin on Friday
The 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing begin this week with the opening ceremony on Friday, the official start of the Games.
You can watch the opening ceremony at 7 a.m. — 8 p.m. in China — on WPTV.
It will take place at the National Stadium, known as the Bird’s Nest, which previously hosted the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Olympics
4. Palm Beach Lakes High School girls basketball coach wins 500th game
Casandra Rahming is in her 24th year of coaching basketball at the West Palm Beach school and won her 500 game on Tuesday!
Rahming the first female, and first African American female, head coach in Palm Beach County's history to win 500 games.
Tuesday night's game is also of great importance since it's the first day of Black History Month.
"Just to be an African American role model for these young ladies and to always let them know the sky's the limit," Rahming said.
5. Opera singer in chase near Mar-a-Lago faces federal charges
A 31-year-old woman accused last January of crashing her SUV through a checkpoint outside Mar-a-Lago is facing new charges in federal court stemming from the incident.
Hannah Roemhild, an opera singer from Middletown, Connecticut, was charged by information filing with three counts of assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon.
Court filings indicate the charges could carry a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison, up to a $250,000 fine, three years supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment of $100. She entered a plea of not guilty to during an initial appearance in Federal court Wednesday morning, according to court records.
Today's Forecast
Warming trend through Friday and the groundhog says 6 more weeks of winter
Get your complete hour-by-hour forecast here.
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On This Day In History
On February 2, 1887, Groundhog Day, featuring a rodent meteorologist, is celebrated for the first time at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. According to tradition, if a groundhog comes out of its hole on this day and sees its shadow, it gets scared and runs back into its burrow, predicting six more weeks of winter weather; no shadow means an early spring.
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."
