WOKC Local News – March 04, 2026, 7:40 AM
Transcript
WOKC News. Graduation rate improves with WOKC News. I’m Charles Murphy. The Florida Department of Education says Okeechobee High School’s graduation rate rose from 80.4 percent in twenty three twenty four to last year’s rate of 83.7 percent. It was lower than the state graduation rate of 92 percent. Four hundred and thirty eight out of five hundred and twenty three students at the high school graduated in four years. The black student graduation rate was 85.7 percent and the Hispanic graduation rate was 84.1 percent. Okeechobee Sheriff Noel Stevens says we’re seeing some new drugs come into Okeechobee, including new horse tranquilizers. There’s less use of fentanyl because it’s deadly and more powder cocaine uses. Stevens says he supports all drug rehabilitation programs he can find, but some just can’t get off these addictions. Our budget is solely 30 million dollars for enforcement. We have nothing for, you know, rehabilitation or, you know, prevention. He also supports longer prison sentence for repeated drug dealers. A special exception approved by the city board of adjustment in Okeechobee at 1127 Southwest Park Street, a tire repair and maintenance building known as Tire Corner will go in there. They plan to use the existing garage building. It’s just east of Dollar General and at the southeast corner of Southwest 12th Avenue. The city did prohibit use of the vacant property next to the building for storage and automotive repairs. Terry Brink, the owner, says they’ll be repairing cars that they will later sell in Okeechobee and Port St. Lucie. We need a place that we can legally repair cars, manage our salespeople. It’s we’re not we will be retail. If you guys want to drop the car off, we’ll you know, we’ll work on it. But mainly this parcel is for us. Martin County Commissioners approving a proclamation for Human Trafficking Awareness Month. Lynn Barletto of United Against Children says there’s more and more danger out there for children. She says don’t let it happen when you can make a difference. So we only have one thing to say when it comes to child exploitation and child trafficking, and that is not on our watch. An Okeechobee father and son were both charged with misdemeanor battery after the father was driving a van at high rate of speed and then parked in front of the county jail. The father admitted he was high and the argument was over picking up another relative. An Okeechobee husband and wife were arrested on misdemeanor battery after a night of drinking at a bar in Vero Beach. The husband was slapped in the face and had milk thrown on him, while the wife also had visible injury. An Okeechobee man was charged with disorderly conduct at a local Dollar General. The man reportedly pulled his pants down, exposing his buttocks and placed them on the card reader. He wanted to check his ID to purchase cigarettes, but the driver’s license would not scan. I’m Charles Murphy, WOKC News.
Recorded from the WOKC daily newscast (Glades Media).