News Cast for January 22nd:
Lawmen put them out of business
The Okeechobee Narcotics Task Force, Homeland Security and Drug Enforcement Agency shut down an alleged drug house at 4369 S.E. 21ST Court in Okeechobee on Friday.
Deputies said a variety of drugs and firearms were allegedly found in the home as they served a search warrant.
48-year-old Jessica Williams was facing felony drug charges including trafficking of methamphetamine, sale of methamphetamine, possession with the intent to sell methamphetamine and possession of controlled substances.
She is currently out of jail on bond for another drug arrest.
A plane crash near Lorida on Friday.
There were three injuries, one serious while two had minor injury. The pilot was airlifted to a regional trauma center in Tampa.
The Kodiak 100 aircraft crashed in a cattle pasture off O’Neal Road not far from the Sebring International Airport.
The plane is registered to the owner of a truck company in Indiana.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating how the crash happened.
Injuries were reported after a collision in the 6500 block of SR 70 east of Okeechobee shut down the road near Mosquito Creek this morning.
The Okeechobee sheriff’s office reopened the road before 8 am and medical helicopters flew out the injured.
Unemployment rates dropped slightly in Okeechobee in December to 3.1 percent. One year ago the rate was 2.3 percent. The labor force dropped by 51 people while the number of people unemployed dropped by 10 in Okeechobee.
Labor economist Jimmy Heckman said motels and restaurants continued to add jobs in Florida.
The rates around the region include Glades County 3.4 percent, St. Lucie 3.5 percent, the state 3 percent, and Hendry County 4.5 percent.
The Rivers Coalition has concerns about the high levels in Lake Okeechobee. The rate has been over 16 feet nearly all winter. January has seen 2.2 inches of rain fall over the lake. The is more than double the average rainfall for January.
The US Army Corps of Engineers said they have no plan to drawdown the lake as the east coast doesn’t want any lake water.
Ben Hogarth with the city of Stuart said we’ll be lucky to get under 14 feet this winter.
Dr. Paul Gray of the Audubon Society predicted the fishery will be harmed due to a lack of submerged vegetation the fish use for food and spawning.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis dropped out of the presidential race Sunday. He was soundly defeated by former President Donald Trump in the Iowa caucuses last week.
DeSantis says he did not see a route to victory.
DeSantis endorsed Trump as a much better alternative than Democrat Joe Biden.
An Indiantown man faces attempted murder charges for allegedly attacking a man with a machete. 41 year old Demetrio Flores allegedly got into an argument with the victim on October 9th and was officially charged on December 11th.