🌱 Merry Christmas + Flight Delays + Jeremy Shelton Named Verde Executive Chef

Hey, neighbors! Merry Christmas to all who celebrate. Carlos Hernandez here with a fresh edition of the Miami Daily.

First, today's weather:

Mostly sunny and pleasant. High: 78 Low: 65.

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Here are the top five stories in Miami today:

1. Hundreds of Christmas Eve cancellations around the nation brought headaches to travelers as one of the busiest travel times of the year is underway, including to travelers at Miami International Airport. Uber and Lyft are also seeing delays. Travelers are reminded to check their travel status for updates. (CBS Miami)

2. Miami Patch has a list up of closures and schedule changes for government offices, facilities and services over the holiday weekend including trash collection, libraries, and more. (Miami Patch)

3. Constellation Culinary Group (CCG) has announced the appointment of Jeremy Shelton to executive chef at Verde restaurant, inside Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) in Downtown Miami. He brings two decades of culinary and hospitality experience to Verde from D.C. to Florida. (Miami Community News)

4. 25-year-old Miami real estate agent Willy Suarez Maceo was arrested on Thursday and branded a "serial killer" who targeted the homeless by Miami Police. Maceo will face charges for murder and attempted murder. (WSVN)

5. Real estate: Moishe Mana paid a combined $25.4 million for the properties at 100 North Miami Avenue, 173 Northeast First Street and 124 Northeast Second Avenue, according to a news release from Colliers. Mana is already the biggest downtown Miami landlord. (The Real Deal)

Today in Miami:

• 3rd Annual Santa's Cabana at CEPODS. (10:00 AM)
• Weekend Rooftop Brunch at The Citadel. (12:00 PM)
• Global Winter Celebration at The Curtiss Mansion. (3:00 PM)
• Christmas Day Celebration at The Wharf Miami's Riverside Holiday Village. (4:00 PM)
• Peter Mayer’s “Stars and Promises” Tour at Las Olas Oceanside Park. (7:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• Florida reached its daily COVID-19 case record on Friday, recording more than 31,700 new infections as of the latest numbers released. (NBC Miami)
• Thanks to Papa Keith and Mayor Daniella Levine Cava's Toy Giveaway & Family Fun Day, hundreds of kids will have the normalcy of receiving gifts on Christmas despite the hardships that the pandemic can bring. (Facebook)
• Miami-Dade Libraries gave away 12,500 COVID-19 Take Home Rapid Test Kits to the public on Friday. Additional kits will be available at more library locations beginning on Monday, December 27th. (Twitter)

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Now you're in the loop and ready to start this Saturday! I'll catch up with you bright and early tomorrow with your next update.

— Carlos Hernandez

About me: Hello my name is Carlos Hernandez and I am a food writer with over 10 years of experience in the industry. I write the food blog Carlos Eats (http://www.carloseats.com) and also contribute to several newspapers and magazines with food-related blogs and articles.