WOKC Local News – August 07, 2026, 7:40 AM
Transcript
WOKC News. A threat to pastures with WOKC News. I’m Charles Murphy. The invasive pasture mealybug discovered in Okeechobee two months ago. It’s native to Australia and Southeast Asia and is present in 15 Florida counties. The mealybug feeds on the sap of pasture grasses and also some crops, sugarcane, rice and corn. It will impact cattle feed, sugarcane and other grass species. The leaves will turn red in certain grass species or will start to dry, looking like it’s drought stressed. Florida’s many ports are potential entryways for non-native species like the mealybug. Erin Powell at the University of Florida says the bug went undetected for a time. So FDACS quickly put together a survey and we found it in nine counties within the first four days of surveying. So it was clearly here for a little while longer than than anyone had realized and had already been spreading for a bit. Researcher Fen Mao says we could have a pasture yield loss of 50 percent in other crops, too. So it’s around 115,000 acres at high risk. They’re testing what insecticides will be effective. One of the options being considered is control burns. Okeechobee City Council has begun their budget workshops. Finance director Taylor Connell says the city is among the best in the state at reducing spending. He says they’ve had a huge millage drop in the past 10 years. City Council has reduced the millage by 25.4 percent since 2015, while the average Florida municipality is at one percent. The city is looking at purchasing thirty eight hundred dollars in lighting for the City Hall November 13 celebration for its 100th birthday. The millage rate set at five point nine six zero two. Mayor Dowling Watford took time out to remember former Sheriff Clayton Williams, who was buried this week. Thank you for his life. And we’ll just cherish the memories that we all have of him and especially of his sense of humor and his love of ice cream. And these will we will remember and cherish forever. Groundbreaking held at the Indy River State College in Fort Pierce for the new medical examiners building in the 19 judicial circuit. Okeechobee County is contributing roughly one point four million towards the cost of construction. Indian River County Commissioner and former trooper Darrell Lohr says there’s important work being done at the medical examiner’s office and they need a nice facility. Friends, I can tell you from experience that the prior building that they’re working in, we don’t have to tell anybody. It’s overwhelmed, overused and simply wore out. A 60 year old Indian town man, Albert First, facing charges of aggravated assault, a deadly weapon and criminal mischief. He was involved in a domestic incident. Deputies say he slammed his hands on their patrol car aggressively, causing some damage of over 500 dollars. He also threatened to burn the house down and retrieved a gas can to bring it inside, putting the resident in fear. I’m Charles Murphy. WOKC News.
Recorded from the WOKC daily newscast (Glades Media).