WOKC Local News – August 14, 2026, 7:40 AM
Transcript
WOKC News. Social media making it worse. With WOKC News, I’m Charles Murphy. While there’s been some hiccups in the opening week of school, especially at Okeechobee High School, Superintendent of Schools Dylan Tedder says it’s nowhere near the impacts that people on social media are claiming. He says each day they’re getting through and improving. Kids are coming to school, they’re getting fed, and then they’re making it home. And so that’s the key right now, getting that routine, and then we gotta start getting some academics going. And I know, been walking around some sites, and I know that is going on. He says the kids like what they see at the new Okeechobee High School, and there hasn’t been all turmoil and confusion in the hallways, as some have portrayed. The kids that were on that campus last year, I mean, they come and they’re just in awe. I mean, everything is new. So, you know, the cafeteria is bigger, the gym’s bigger, everything is bigger. So they’re in awe. There was even some social media posts that the school ran out of food on the first day. That was a lie. The proposed townhouse project east of Okeechobee will be withdrawn at 945 Northeast 28th Avenue. County commissioners approved a rezoning of five acres at 253 Northeast 110th Street will be used for a truck repair business. Commissioners also purchasing seven used vehicles for the sheriff’s use at a price of $156,000. Okeechobee County continues to raise concerns about property tax reform. They point to other counties threatening to cut jobs of first responders. They’re also continuing to support the widening of 710. Okeechobee and Martin County administrators met to support the project. County Commissioner Terry Burroughs says more state money is needed for rural roads like this. We need more money coming into these rural counties because it’s an east-west-west-east corridor, not only just for hurricane evacuation, for any type of new economic development, manufacturing, distribution processes you put in. We need to be able to have these roads widened so that you can reduce the number of traffic accidents. Those in rural areas like ours could find it easier to get medical care. Governor Ron DeSantis announced this week the state is spending almost $200 million to strengthen health care in rural communities. A grant for Florida community health centers included of over $300,000 will be focusing on 31 rural counties, which serve about a million people. DeSantis says the money will help ensure Floridians can access high-quality care in their own communities. It’ll also expand the rural health care workforce. St. Lucie County Commissioners Kathy Townsend and James Clasby clashed at a recent budget workshop. They disagreed on funding the St. Lucie Economic Development Council. Clasby says that Townsend has a tendency to lecture the other commissioners. The policies that you’ve supported, the developments that you’ve supported, is partially the reason why I ran for office, okay? So don’t try and educate me about what I don’t know. I’m Charles Murphy, WOKC News.
Recorded from the WOKC daily newscast (Glades Media).