WOKC Local News – November 25, 2025, 7:41 AM
Transcript
WOKC News. The city concerned. With WOKC News, I’m Charles Murphy. Okeechobee City Administrator Gary Ritter is keeping a close eye on Tallahassee and the property tax reform legislation. He says there would be major impacts if the city lost ad valorem taxes. He says they’d have some tough choices to make. What do you want? The services or the reduced taxes? A high-speed chase on a motorcycle lands a Crestview, Florida man in the Okeechobee County Jail. Joseph McCarty was seen by a deputy doing a wheelie on 441 North. He was caught at Villa Marguerite trying to restart the motorcycle. Charges include fleeing and attempting to elude. Speeds reached over 100 miles an hour. Local dairy farmer Woody Larson spoke on history, faith and today, reliance on God and on farmers as he was the guest speaker at the 31st annual Farm City Week luncheon last week. He spoke on farmers and the Lord’s Prayer that blesses them and asks for our daily bread. The Okeechobee Tourist Development Council welcomed a new coordinator, Jacqueline Schooley. She’ll also be over the AgCenter. They want to be more aggressive in promoting Okeechobee events. David Desai says TDC board members need more time to review their applications and more information. At the end of the day, it’s the responsibility of the board to be more physical responsible to make that decision where every application doesn’t mean it has to be approved. Every application doesn’t mean you have to get some funding. The Sheriff’s Office will be holding a prayer gathering Wednesday morning for the loss of Deputy Terry Sweeting Mashcow of Indian River County. The prayer will be at 8 a.m. at the front steps of the Sheriff’s Office. Mashcow died on Friday along with a locksmith as they were trying to evict a person near Vero Beach. A representative with the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office says the suspect also died Saturday, 37-year-old Michael Halberstam. Two are facing animal cruelty charges in DeSoto County after a heifer was fatally shot in the head. A DeSoto County Sheriff’s report says Matthew Wright and Gavin McMillan of Charlotte County fatally shot the cow and admitted to shooting the cow. They found some marijuana and a grinder. The heifer was about worth $45,000. McMillan will be working on the farm to help cover the losses. A Big Bend lawmaker is backing an effort to help rural areas prosper in Florida. Tallahassee State Senator Corey Simon introduced the Rural Communities Bill last week. One of the things it does is require the state to create a new agency called the Office of Rural Prosperity. The office would administer block grants to eligible communities. Simon says the bill drastically expands opportunities for education, commerce and health care in Florida. It was previously known as the Rural Renaissance Bill. I’m Charles Murphy, WOKC News.
Recorded from the WOKC daily newscast (Glades Media).