News Cast for September 19th:
Potential Odor scares off city
A Miami bio-medical company wanted to buy land in the city commerce center.
City Council said no thanks.
Vice Mayor Monica Clark said she was worried about the odors from such a business bothering nearby neighborhoods.
“There might not be a smell but there might be. It is real close to the city and I’d rather not have it in the industrial park.”
She advocated for studying the firm and how its performed in other places first before entertaining the idea.
Mayor Dowling Watford said a similar type business once applied for a lease in the county industrial park and also raised concerns about odors.
“You hate not to bring in a business because they provide jobs. Sometimes somethings override that.”
The council honored Police Sgt. Aurelio Almazan for 15 years of service. The council approved a proclamation naming September as Hunger Action Month.
Pahokee held an observance to remember the storm victims of 1928 at the Port Mayaca cemetery on Friday.
Saturday was the 95th anniversary of the hurricane that devastated the Glades and Lake Okeechobee, drowning at least 2,500 people. Over 1,600 of them are buried in a mass grave at the cemetery where the annual observance was held.
A group of children from KE Cunningham/Canal Point elementary were in attendance.
Vice Mayor Clara Murvin told the crowd about the mass graves in Palm Beach County mostly containing farm workers that were African-American.
“There was almost 700 bodies that they placed in a trunk and dumped in a mass grave. Most of those bodies were of African-American descent.”
Dorothy Hazard of the Storm of 28 Memorial Park Coalition, said West Palm Beach will dedicate a new memorial next year for the storm victims, many of whom were buried there.
She said members of the Seminole Tribe knew the storm was coming and alerted many residents to flee.
“We want you to remember all of the victims of the storm of 1928. It is very important because we don’t want that to ever happen again.”
She noted the tribal members were our first weather people. They noticed the winds picking up and the birds leaving.
“They told them a big storm was coming and fled the area. Others that heard that were able to leave or make preparations.”
The category 4 storm carried winds of over 140 miles per hour and torrential rains. Rain levels reached 20 inches in some areas of South Florida.
7 paramedics at Highlands County Fire Rescue received life saving awards.
They have had several drug induced overdoses in recent months. One of the lives saved was at a local high school.
Battalion Chief Dustin Fitch presented the honors and stated it shows the commitment these young people have in helping people.
“This shows the true commitment to the community that these people have. This is not just a job it’s a calling and these people have stepped up to help the community.”
The county also working on more septic to sewer projects in the Lake Placid area.
Commissioner Scott Kirouac said they have to work on water quality in order to survive.
“Unless you’ve been living under a rock you realize that water quality on the east and west coast has affected those communities and those counties. Their local economy, tourism, are all the things that bring dollars into our counties and the state, keeping our taxes low, and people come here to spend money.”
The county has had success in trying to recruit mid size companies from Miami Dade and California to Highlands County.
The Florida Highway Patrol said troopers are on scene of a traffic crash involving two vehicles and a marked FWC truck towing a boat on SR-78 and Herbert Hoover Dyke in Lakeport.
Three subjects were transported to Hendry Regional Hospital as a precaution. The FWC Officer was not injured. SR-78 is blocked in both directions for a couple of hours but has reopened. Troopers said the FWC Officer was not at fault.