The way they walk. The way they talk. The way they have the ability to make us weak in the knees and totally distract us from everything just by giving us “the look.”
And now we find out they could be the ones to tell us whether we have COVID-19 before we even know it just by taking one sniff?! Man, I’m convinced dogs really are made of magic. Forget waiting hours in testing lines, coronavirus-sniffing dogs are here to save the day.
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We truly don’t deserve them or their magical powers. And while we’re on the topic of magic, we’re going to take a few minutes today to explore where magic is, and where it isn’t.
Just as a little tease, we all know magic is in the north pole but after spending some time chatting with Santa and Mrs. Claus, I now know how you can bring the north pole to your home, which really means I’m about to tell you how to bring Christmas magic into your living room. You ready for that?
Oh, and before I forget, Happy Hanukkah to those who celebrate, including my childhood best friend, Sophia, who reads this every day. Soph, don’t open all the presents I sent in one day. Trust me, I will know. 😉
OK, now...
Here’s what’s trending on ClickOrlando.com:
🧬 COVID-19 vaccine: Not magic, just science
It might seem like it took magic to get a vaccine developed and rolled out within months but health officials say that wasn’t the case. It just took some really good, hardworking scientists. And now that the COVID-19 vaccine could be in Florida in a matter of days, I know you guys have all the questions: How many vaccines will we get in Florida? Will we be required to get vaccinated? Is the coronavirus going to disappear once the vaccine arrives in Florida (hint: this one would actually require some magic)? Click on all those little blue links for answers to each question and if your question wasn’t listed, click here for all the other vaccine myths health officials are debunking.
🙏 Rest in Peace: Before we moved on to other non-coronavirus-related stories, I did want to take a moment to remember Elizabeth Toro, a reading teacher in Brevard County who died from COVID-19 complications. My heart is with her family, friends, coworkers and students as they deal with this painful loss. ❤️ Here’s how Toro is being honored.
😮 Coach in real trouble now
Remember that football coach I told you about yesterday? The one seen in that viral video hitting a peewee player and knocking him to the ground? OK, well after it caused a major stir online -- as many would expect it to -- the coach, who was not initially in any legal trouble (besides being publicly shamed by a lot of people, including LeBron James) because the boy’s mother didn’t want to take action against the man, is now facing child abuse charges. Click here for the full update.
Do you think the coach should face charges? What was your initial reaction to the video? Weigh in my emailing me at BVolz@wkmg.com.
🗣️ She said, they said, he yelled
Yeah, I know the expression is “he said, she said” but what I just wrote is much more accurate when it comes to this story about Rebekah Jones, which just keeps on developing. Earlier this week, I told you FDLE agents served a warrant at the home of the data scientist credited with creating Florida’s COVID-19 dashboard. She was outraged about how it all went down and posted this video on Twitter, saying the agents pointed guns in her kids’ faces. That’s the “she said” part. Yesterday, the FDLE released body camera footage that didn’t exactly match up with Jones’ story, which you can watch here. That’s the “they said” part. The “he yelled” part describes what happened when Gov. Ron DeSantis was asked about the whole situation by a reporter during a news conference this morning. 😳 Sheesh.
❄️ (S)no(w) more snow park?
That was intense, let’s get back to the good stuff -- well, kinda. Remember how Floridians were all freaking out about getting to play with snow when this snow park opened up a few weeks ago? Well, it seems magic is what this place needs to work because after less than one month of its doors being open, officials shut down the park this week. But in an update today, park officials said they’re good to reopen. Guess it’s too soon to snow how this all ends? Stay tuned, Florida.
🎅 Zoom into the holiday spirit
I promised you magic so magic you’ll get. Except this doesn’t actually take magic to accomplish, it’s actually quite easy to do. The coronavirus stinks for more reasons than I have time to list but one annual tradition it’s really putting a damper on this year is those visits with Santa Claus. Or at least, it was, until the elves taught Mrs. Claus and Santa how to use Facebook and Zoom. Now, you can bring the magic of the north pole right to your living room. Of course, I had to test this whole virtual visit thing out before I came and told you about it. What kind of journalist would I be if I didn’t fact check Santa himself? So yes, I did have this call with the Clauses. Yes, it was magical and quite honestly the best work assignment I’ve had all year. And yes, you can book one with them, too. Trust me, your kids will LOVE it.
And for anyone who had any doubts, I am, in fact, on Santa’s nice list this year. Can you say the same for yourself? 🧐
Oh, and before I forget, only two more weeks until Christmas! 😍
⌚ Weekend countdown: T-5...4...
Ah, shoot. It looks like that countdown has been put on hold, much like SpaceX’s countdown clock earlier today before its latest launch attempt was scrubbed. The company now plans to try again Sunday morning to send this SiriusXM satellite up. Will the weather cooperate? Get the full weekend forecast right here.
And on one last magical note, I hope you got to watch this ULA launch last night. If you ask me, the monthslong wait to get this thing off the ground was worth it for this view. 🤩