News Cast for September 12th:
A special dog for schools
The Okeechobee Sheriff Noel Stephen teamed up with the school board on a grant for a new K-9 unit.
This dog will be specifically trained to search for guns and ammunition on campus.
It will also be used as a therapy dog at school.
If needed in the community for other calls, the dog will be available for the sheriff, but at all times the school system will get the priority.
The schools also purchased new lock cores for every classroom door in the district.
Superintendent Dylan Tedders said every classroom door will lock automatically.
He said this will remove human error and guarantee all doors are locked and improve security.
The Okeechobee County Planning Board approved a special exception for a service station and convenience store at 8675 Highway 441 SE. They will tear down the existing drive thru business and replace it with the new building and car wash bays.
The board also recommended approval of rezoning 18 acres at 8275 highway 441 south for an RV park.
The project will require package plants for water and sewer.
The project was first proposed in the 1980s as a mobile home park that never was developed.
Booker Park residents and the village of Indiantown continue to knock heads over event permits.
The residents wanted to hold a black history event. The village said they didn’t have the parking, and it would cause more traffic and noise problems.
Kimberly Jackson Brown has been outspoken about too much government interference in Indiantown specifically the Swamp Fest. She compared these regulations to Jim Crow laws.
A number of observances around the area for 9-11. In Okeechobee, County firemen ran up the new training tower stairs in full gear. They made 110 trips to honor the 373 city of new York firemen who died in 2001.
Glades County Commissioners created exclusive franchise agreements for Buckhead Ridge and Lakeport for water and sewer.
The OUA will service Buckhead and eastern Glades. The Lakeport Water wants to add sewer service.
Glades also looking for alternative RV parks for veterans who were evicted by the new owners at Meadowlark Campground.
Commissioner Jerry Sapp said the RV park suddenly closed. He has contacted an RV park in Palmdale to try and find a location for some of the veterans and urged county staff to try and help.