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. MISSING CHILD ALERT: Have you seen Joann?
Indian River County Sheriff's Office deputies are searching for a girl missing in Vero Beach.
Joann Hardin was last seen at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday in the 8700 block of 100th Avenue.
Joann is described as 5 foot 6 inches tall, weighing between 180 and 200 pounds. She has brown hair and brown eyes.
2. Florida Attorney General backs Texas challenge to election results
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody on Wednesday joined 16 other states in backing a last-chance effort by Texas to get the U.S. Supreme Court to block election results in four swing states where the vote went in favor of President-elect Joe Biden.
The case is considered a last-ditch effort as the Electoral College is scheduled to vote Monday and as Biden forms his incoming administration.
Georgia Deputy Secretary of State Jordan Fuchs told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution the allegations in the lawsuit "are false and irresponsible."
3. Houston, we have... a success? It didn't look like it.
SpaceX’s test flight of its next-generation Starship rocket was deemed a success, despite a bit of an explosive landing.
As part of the launch, SpaceX attempted to perform a “flip landing” of the rocket. Although the flip landing resulted in the rocket blowing up, the finish was not unexpected.
“With a test such as this, success is not measured by completion of specific objectives but rather how much we can learn, which will inform and improve the probability of success in the future as SpaceX rapidly advances development of Starship,” SpaceX said.
4. Congresswoman calls for investigations following raid at home of Florida data scientist
Florida Congresswoman Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz is asking her state’s inspector generals to open an investigation into a recent raid on the home of a fired data scientist Rebekah Jones.
Jones created the state’s original COVID-19 informational dashboard. DeSantis decried Jones’ work, which boiled into a public spat between the two. Jones claimed that DeSantis did not want health officials to be transparent about the spread of the virus.
Speaking to us during an exclusive interview, Jones said she had nothing to do with the hack, calling it retribution by an angry government.
5. Hunter Biden facing federal investigation over 'tax affairs'
President-elect Joe Biden’s son Hunter says he has learned from federal prosecutors that his tax affairs are under investigation.
The investigation by the Delaware U.S. Attorney’s office was disclosed in a statement released Wednesday by President-elect Biden’s transition office and his son.
Hunter Biden has long been a target of President Donald Trump and his allies, who have accused him of profiting off his political connections. Trump and his supporters also raised unsubstantiated charges of corruption related to Hunter Biden’s work in Ukraine at the time his father was vice president.
Today's Forecast
Another near-record cold start across South Florida.
Get your complete hour-by-hour forecast here.
On This Day In History
On December 10, 1901, the first Nobel Prizes are awarded in Stockholm, Sweden, in the fields of physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and peace. The ceremony came on the fifth anniversary of the death of Alfred Nobel, the Swedish inventor of dynamite and other high explosives.
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."