WOKC Local News – June 24, 2026, 7:40 AM
Transcript
WOKC News. Ambitious plans? With WOKC News, I’m Charles Murphy. The new CEO at HCA Rollerson Hospital, Alex Mazmela, has been making the rounds. He first went to City Hall, then went to the Chamber of Commerce, and now has spoken to the County Commission. Mazmela has ambitious plans to improve the hospital, including a $21 million project to expand their emergency department. He’d also like to add three surgeons. He listed some other goals for the County Commission. My goal here is to continue the path forward with providing the quality care that we need for our patients and the community, and looking at different things that we can provide to be able to keep the patients here in the community. In the courts, an Okeechobee man gets 15 years in prison for carjacking and elderly abuse. Harvey Barr Jr. got into a high-speed chase with deputies after he allegedly battered a man who agreed to take him from West Palm Beach to Okeechobee. A jury in March found him guilty of carjacking, fleeing to elude a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest, and driving while licensed and suspended. He had prior drug charges on his record and scored some 99 months in prison. The victim said he was punched in the face multiple times because Barr wanted to drive his vehicle. Buddy Mills was inducted into the Florida FFA Hall of Fame at their annual convention last week. Mills spent 21 years as a teacher in Okeechobee schools. Previously, he worked 21 years for the Florida Department of Agriculture. Mills says he hopes he gave back and made a difference and always wanted to encourage kids to succeed. Some of the lasting influences I think I may have made was introducing a non-agriculture type kid to the agriculture industry through the FFA and contest, and seeing them go and pursue a career in agriculture education. Martin County is considering combining the campuses of Warfield Elementary and Indiantown Middle School at the middle school campus. Mark Sechrest introduced a plan to the joint meeting of the city of Stewart and county commissioners. The plan would include a space for East Coast Migrant Head Start, an adult technical education building, a renovation of the sports complex, and new playground. Sechrest notes it costs more to renovate than build new now. So now that project becomes more expensive than the dollars we could actually use to build a new building at Indiantown Middle School for Warfield. So that project is, like I said, it’s not been approved to move forward except for a master plan phase. Once the master plan phase is complete, that information will be presented to the board. Two Okeechobee residents were arrested in Orlando after being noticed as a traffic hazard. Orlando police say they observed a Chrysler 300 with a loud modified exhaust, driving at a high rate of speed and following too closely behind other vehicles. When they pulled them over, they saw the two front seat passengers switching seats. 23-year-old Wilton Williams was charged with reckless driving, 19-year-old Tymus Bradley with resisting an officer without violence. I’m Charles Murphy, WOKC News.
Recorded from the WOKC daily newscast (Glades Media).