WOKC Local News – October 05, 2026, 7:40 AM
Transcript
WOKC News. A third traffic death with WOKC News. I’m Charles Murphy. We’ve now had three people died in Okeechobee Roads in the past seven days. The latest was Thursday afternoon at the intersection of 15A and 710. A 21-year-old Okeechobee woman was killed when she allegedly pulled into the path of a semi-trailer that was headed eastbound. She died at Lawnwood Hospital. Okeechobee schools have won their court case with Rose Randazzo. She was a school bus aide who was terminated after allowing a 10-year-old special needs student to be left unattended on a bus going to school in the morning on May 11, 2023 for about two hours. District alleged Randazzo was negligent and should have been inspecting the bus regularly. School board attorney at the termination hearing, Molly Shattuck, spoke about violating policy. These rules exist for a reason, to protect students, not just from harm, but from preventable harm. The four-district court of appeals upheld a lower court’s decision in favor of the school board during August. The Florida Cattlemen’s Association’s new president is on top of all the threats to agriculture this summer that include the mealy bug and screw worm. John Williamson of Okeechobee spoke about the mealy bug threat. On to the mealy bug. I think this could have more effect rapidly on our industry, certainly the shuriken industry. He says they have an insecticide that is working on the bug. On the screw worm, Williamson says they’re doing all they can to prevent it spread out of Texas and Louisiana. A one-year moratorium being drafted on data centers in Martin County, former gubernatorial candidate James Fishback came to Stewart, giving some advice to the county commission. But the upsides that are being spun by both the left and the right on a data center being necessary, when we already have 12 times as many data centers in this country than China does. The Martin Commerce Park will be developed at Martin Highway and 95. The first phase would include six buildings and 500,000 square feet of space. They also voted to add to their list of environmentally sensitive lands for purchase, the Big Cypress Ranch on Beeline Highway near Indian Town. A 61-year-old Okeechobee man locked up in Highlands County and charged that include grand theft, motor vehicle. It’s alleged that Michael Brantley entered a property on Fulmar Terrace and stole two firearms, entered two vehicles in a barn. Also removed from the property was a motorcycle and a refrigerated trailer. They found a truck nearby in the ditch, abandoned and stuck, and found some of the stolen items. From that evidence, Highlands County Sheriff Detectives served a search warrant on Boondock Road and found two stolen firearms. An Okeechobee woman who admitted to being in a weird love relationship allegedly bit the arm of the man during a domestic dispute. Alcohol apparently played a factor. I’m Charles Murphy, WOKC News.
Recorded from the WOKC daily newscast (Glades Media).