WOKC Local News – June 26, 2026, 7:40 AM
Transcript
WOKC News. Quality teachers forced to leave. With WOKC News, I’m Charles Murphy. Six teachers who came here in a foreign teacher exchange program had to leave after the education was up for the year as their visas expired. Superintendent Dylan Tedders says these foreign teachers did very good jobs. Now, I think I’m pretty safe to speak for the principals that are losing you guys, that they do not want to lose you. You’ve been a valuable asset to our school district and our students. Honored were Davila Gordon, who taught vocational program at Osceola, Howard Martin, who taught math at Yearling, Salim Johnson, who taught English at Yearling, Chevelle James, who taught English at Yearling, and Makristino Deo at Seminole. She taught third grade. Okeechobee County unemployment dipped a little bit in May to 5.1%. It had been 5.2% in April. The workforce declined by 28 workers, 16 fewer people were employed, and eight fewer people collected jobless benefits. Alligator mating season is in high gear. The University of Florida last year released a study about alligator attacks. There have been nearly 500 in the state since 1948. 30 of those were fatal. Frank Mazzotti, a professor for UF, says alligator attacks are usually serious. If you do find yourself attacked by an alligator, fight like your life depends on it, because it does. He was asked if having Northern visitors gone before the mating season has lowered those numbers. Activities of alligators certainly increased during warmer weather. Alligators tend to be more territorial during mating season, so all of those things are true. I’ve never looked at a monthly distribution of alligator attacks, but I sure wouldn’t say, oh, it’s January, I don’t have to worry. Phase six of Terra Lago approved by Indian Towns Planning Board, 50 acres, could be developed along Allapattah Road, including 100,000 square feet of commercial and 28 apartments or condominiums. Former Mayor Susan Gibbs Thomas wants to have a red light installed on Allapattah or 609 due to the increase in traffic. If a fire station goes in there on 609, a light is definitely going to be needed there. Port St. Lucie man who works in Okeechobee arrested by FDLE, 26-year-old Jordan Castile, facing three charges of traveling to meet a minor for sex in Polk County. A Fort Lauderdale man held in bond of over $100,000 in a drug bust by the Narcotics Task Force. They pull over a vehicle for no headlight on US 441 South, lest they find 22.4 grams of a cocaine-fentanyl mixture. Stanley Williams booked into the Okeechobee County Jail. Governor Ron DeSantis signed two bills. One raises the bar for cities and counties that want to raise your property taxes. It makes it harder for local governments to raise property tax burdens without greater accountability. The other would require local governments to make their budgets more transparent and release more info on items such as salaries. I’m Charles Murphy, WOKC News.
Recorded from the WOKC daily newscast (Glades Media).