WOKC Local News – October 19, 2026, 7:40 AM
Transcript
WOKC News. Big changes at school with WOKC News, I’m Charles Murphy. There’s time for you to sit and wait a full year before making some moves. That’s Superintendent Dylan Tedders announcing some administrative leadership changes. Pat McCoy will become the new principal at North Elementary. Jess Lowe, the previous principal, will be the new principal at Okeechobee Achievement Academy. Kelly Campbell will be promoted as assistant to the regular principal at Yearling Middle School, and Audie Ashe will transition to assistant principal at Seminole. Ashley Drezik, the assistant principal there, will transition to Yearling Middle School. Tedders says this will improve academics in the school this year. We’ve made progress even over the last couple of years, but we’re not progressing at the rate at which others in the state are progressing. He says he’s putting these people where they have strengths and leadership capabilities, putting them in the best possible place to succeed. The district met with school staff yesterday afternoon to announce the changes. A murder suspect wanted in Okeechobee is located in Sebastian. 35-year-old Earl Wadlington III is expected to face murder charges soon. Chief Deputy Michael Hazelief says Wadlington is yet to be charged. This person being arrested for the grand theft charges, our charges are still pending. There’s many questions you probably have about the homicide, but it is still an ongoing and active investigation, which means there’s very little other than what I’ve already said that I can tell you. He is behind bars in Indian River County. Police there gave chase and deputies were able to corral him. Sheriff Eric Flowers says his deputies and Sebastian police executed the chase and arrest perfectly. It’s four o’clock in the morning. He’s running from our deputies. He’s running through the Walmart parking lot. You see that our deputies were able to deploy stop sticks. The reason that he ultimately stopped and got out and ran is because his truck was going to stop working. That stolen vehicle is going to stop working. The murder may have occurred last weekend. The body was discovered on Monday. They also discovered his pickup truck of the victim had been stolen. The victim, 88 year old Paul Eugene Baker, was Wadlington’s grandfather. Senator Erin Grawl says she wants more local government control over data centers. So that there is really key decision making happening at the at the local level, not from Tallahassee. Grawl was the only senator to vote against an artificial intelligence bill of rights. Oogachooee Sheriff Noel Stephen coming out against Amendment three, as most sheriffs in the state has. He says it will impact his department and fire rescue and other departments in the county represents a significant portion of our local budget. Any substantial reductions in the property tax revenue available to the local government could force difficult decisions about how essential services are funded. I’m Charles Murphy, WOKC News.
Recorded from the WOKC daily newscast (Glades Media).