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The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday warned all pilots to “exercise caution” when flying in the airspace over Venezuela “due to the worsening security situation and heightened military activity ” around the country. The message said the unspecified threats “could pose a potential risk to aircraft at all altitudes” as well planes taking off and landing in the country and even aircraft on the ground. The warning comes as the Trump administration has ramped up pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The U.S. military has conducted bomber flights up to the coast of Venezuela, sometimes as part of a training exercise to simulate an attack, and sent the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford into the region. The Ford aircraft carrier and several destroyers were just the latest addition to the largest U.S. force assembled in the Caribbean Sea near Venezuela in generations. The Trump administration does not see Maduro, who faces charges of narcoterrorism in the U.S., as the legitimate leader of the South American country. The Trump administration also has carried out a series of strikes on small boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean that it accuses of ferrying drugs to the U.S., killing over 80 people in total since the campaign began in early September. Mary Schiavo, who is a former inspector general for the Department of Transportation, said the FAA puts out this kind of notice anytime there is a military conflict but that she hopes pilots will pay attention. “I wouldn’t take it as necessarily there’s any kind of attack is imminent because I’ve seen these issued many times before. But as a pilot myself, I’d certainly heed it,” Schiavo said. Schiavo said the United States may be anticipating military action by Venezuela or it could be planning additional action against drug boats. She said it’s hard to read into this notice and know what is behind it. The Pentagon, when asked about the new warning, directed questions to the FAA, which simply confirmed the warning was issued and that it would last for 90 days.

The suspect involved in a deadly deputy-involved shooting in Indian River County died Saturday, the sheriff’s office said. One deputy was killed and a second deputy and a locksmith were wounded after a man who was being evicted from his mother’s home opened fire on them Friday, authorities said. The incident began when three deputies and the locksmith were evicting the man from his mother’s home in the Bermuda Club gated community north of Vero Beach, Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers said. The deputies and locksmith were in the home’s entryway when the suspect, 37-year-old Michael Halberstam, suddenly opened fire, Flowers said. Deputy Terri Sweeting-Mashkow, 47, who had been with the sheriff’s office for 25 years, was killed. The sheriff’s office announced Saturday that Sweeting-Mashkow was posthumously promoted to Sergeant. She will be addressed as Sgt. Sweeting-Mashkow moving forward. “I’m absolutely heartbroken. I’ve worked my entire career with Terri, as have pretty much everybody else at the agency,” Flowers said. “Having to call her mom today, having to let her husband know, absolutely the worst part of being a law enforcement leader. I can tell you that our team will feel this forever. Terri was an amazing deputy, she had a beautiful heart and she will be missed.” The second deputy, Florentino “Tino” Arizpe, was shot in the shoulder, the locksmith was also shot, and a sergeant who was there wasn’t injured. The locksmith, whose name wasn’t released, was undergoing surgery and in critical condition while Arizpe was recovering at a hospital. Deputies returned fire and Halberstam was shot multiple times, Flowers said. He underwent surgery Friday but later died Saturday. “What an awful day, six days before Thanksgiving,” Flowers said. Flowers said they’d received seven calls to the residence just this month, almost all from Halberstam’s mother. Halberstam had been recently fired from his job and had been posting negative items about the sheriff’s office on Facebook, Flowers said. “This is not someone who was on our radar, this is not somebody that we were actively engaged with,” Flowers said. “This was a standard call for service, this is the every day call, the eviction, the regular duties that our deputies bravely do every day, in and out.” Mashkow had started as dispatcher, worked in patrol for 20 years, and in 2023 she joined the legal process civil unit, Flowers said. Flowers said it was the second line of duty death in the 100-year history of the sheriff’s office.

Four people trying to break into a Kendall home were met with gunfire Saturday evening, leaving one of the suspects fatally shot by the homeowner, Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office officials said. The attempted burglary happened just before 7 p.m. at a home near Southwest 141st Street and 110th Avenue. Detectives told NBC6 the homeowner was inside the home and opened fire when the four suspects tried to force their way into the home. “I heard two shots,” said a neighbor who added that he had never seen gun violence in the neighborhood before. One suspect was shot in the upper extremities, police said. That person later died at the hospital. The other three people fled the scene and remain on the run. Deputies are investigating the home invasion. Check back with NBC6 for updates on this developing story.

A historic ocean liner will become the world’s largest artificial reef after it’s sunk off Florida’s Gulf Coast early next year. Okaloosa County officials announced Tuesday that they expect to sink the SS United States in early 2026 about 22 nautical miles (41 kilometers) southwest of Destin and 32 nautical miles (59 kilometers) southeast of Pensacola. The nearly 1,000-foot (305-meter) vessel, which shattered the trans-Atlantic speed record on its maiden voyage in 1952, has spent most of this year at the Port of Mobile in Alabama, being scoured to remove chemicals, wiring, plastic and glass. Regional partnership The ship’s final location was selected as part of an agreement with Pensacola tourism officials, who are contributing $1.5 million to the project, and Coastal Conservation Association Florida, which is kicking in another $500,000. Officials had been considering two other locations, including one that would have placed the ship further east and closer to Panama City Beach. “This collaboration will foster amazing adventures for generations of visitors and create a tourism economy that will benefit the state and the entire Northwest Florida region,” Okaloosa County Board Chairman Paul Mixon said in a statement. The contributions will be used to transform the SS United States into an artificial reef and finance a multiyear marketing campaign. The deal is part of Okaloosa County’s $10.1 million plan to purchase, move, clean and sink the ship, which includes $1 million toward a onshore museum to promote the ship’s history. Hollywood May 22 Guardians of the Reef, a snorkel-friendly artificial reef system Florida Apr 4 Historic ocean liner off Florida's Gulf Coast to be world's largest artificial reef Once in place, the SS United States will sit at a depth of about 180 feet (55 meters), but the vessel is so tall that the top decks will be about 60 feet (18 meters) from the surface, making it attractive to both novice and experienced divers. The artificial reef will also be about 12 nautical miles (22 kilometers) away from the USS Oriskany, another popular dive destination that was sunk in 2006. The SS United States is set to join Okaloosa County’s more than 500 artificial reefs, which include a dozen smaller ship wrecks. “The transformation of the SS United States into the world’s largest artificial reef creates a rare opportunity to elevate our entire region on the global stage,” said Darien Schaefer, president and CEO of Visit Pensacola. The new artificial reef will provide essential marine life habitat, which prompted Coastal Conservation Association Florida to make its largest donation in the organization’s 40-year history. “It is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to contribute to the creation of the world’s largest artificial reef,” CCA Florida Executive Director Brian Gorski said in a statement. Long journey The SS United States arrived in Alabama at the beginning of March following a 12-day tow from Philadelphia’s Delaware River, where it has spent nearly three decades. Okaloosa County took ownership after a years-old rent dispute was resolved last October between the conservancy that oversees the ship and its landlord. Various groups have attempted to restore the SS United States over the years, but all plans were eventually abandoned because of the steep cost. Recently, increased media attention has generated more calls to preserve the ship, and a group called the New York Coalition sued in Pensacola federal court asking a judge to halt sinking such a historically significant vessel. But Okaloosa County officials have said that preventing the SS United States from becoming a reef would only send it to the scrapyard. The vessel, which is more than 100 feet (30 meters) longer than the RMS Titanic, was once considered a beacon of American engineering, doubling as a military vessel that could carry thousands of troops. On its maiden voyage, the ship reached an average speed of 36 knots,…

UPDATE: Morgan Geyser, one of the attackers who lured a classmate to please the fictional character “Slender Man,” more than a decade ago, was placed back in custody late Sunday after escaping from a Wisconsin group home, authorities said. Police in Madison, Wisconsin, where Geyser had been living at a group home, said she was taken into custody in Illinois. She was found at a truck stop in Posen, Illinois, the Posen Police Department confirmed early Monday. Posen is about 25 miles south of Chicago. The community is about 170 miles south of Madison. EARLIER: One of the attackers who lured a friend into a forested area of Waukesha, Wisconsin and repeatedly stabbed her to please the fictional character “Slender Man” has fled a group home, police say. According to Madison police, Morgan Geyser cut off her monitoring bracelet and left the group home Saturday night. She was last seen in the area around Kroncke Drive at approximately 8 p.m., and Madison police were notified of the disappearance on Sunday morning. Geyser is one of two individuals who lured then-12-year-old Payton Leutner to a wooded area near Waukesha in 2014. While there, Leutner was stabbed at least 19 times, with her friends attempting to please the fictional character known as “Slender Man,” a character notorious for stalking and terrorizing children. A surveillance image of 22-year-old Morgan Geyser, taken earlier this year. (Madison Police) According to prosecutors, the girls plotted the stabbing for months, and they told investigators they believed Slender Man had a mansion in a forest, and they planned to live with him after the attack. Leutner was left for dead, but was discovered by a passing bicyclist and was taken to a hospital. Geyser was found not guilty by mental disease or defect and was committed to a mental health institution. Geyser was released this year to live in a group home. Anthony Cotton, Geyser’s attorney, posted a video on social media, urging Geyser to turn herself in. “”If anybody has contact with Morgan, hears from her, or if Morgan happens to see this — turn yourself in,” he stated in the video. “Do not continue to remain on the run like this. It is not in your best interest to handle this matter that way.” The family of Geyser’s victim, Leutner, released the following statement Sunday night: “Payton and her family are safe and are working closely with local law enforcement to ensure their continued safety. The family would like to thank all of the law enforcement entities involved in the efforts to apprehend Morgan,” the statement said. “The Leutner family also wish to thank the outpouring of support from family, friends, and well-wishers who have contacted them during this difficult time.” Geyser was last seen with an adult acquaintance, authorities said. Anyone with information on her whereabouts is urged to call 911.