WOKC Local News – June 25, 2026, 7:40 AM
Transcript
WOKC News. Fire rescue getting busier with WOKC News. I’m Charles Murphy. Fire chief Justin Haysleaf made a report to city council. He says 88% of the calls they respond to in the city limits are medically related, which includes car accidents. At 18 fires in the past year, fire teams have reduced response times by 20 seconds per call to an average of four minutes and 50 seconds in the city. Haysleaf says a new fire station in southwest Okeechobee will be a big addition and improvement. Currently, our biggest need for call volume because of the 78 corridor, all of the trailer parks that are on that. We also, of course, service Buckhead Ridge all the way to the Empire Canal. But then that will also come back up 441 South Corridor, which is the busiest as far as business, and the southwest section. The council approved an easement to allow a sign for Culvers. They also recognized nurses during Nurses Appreciation Month and found a 2024 youth assessment found a majority of Okeechobee school kids know more about vapes than we do. 10% of kids brought a weapon to school at least once and the survey found 64% of our middle school students reported being bullied. An Amazon distribution center will be in Fort Pierce in the next year and a half. City commissioners approved a major site plan amendment for a massive facility of 1.1 million square feet at 2300 South Kings Highway. Welcome to Fort Pierce. That Fort Pierce Mayor, Linda Hudson, the project expected to create about 745 permanent jobs and have a economic impact of $240 million in investments. An Okeechobee man who beat a 16 year old autistic child and was once sentenced to 30 years in prison only to have it reduced to one year is back in trouble with the law. Andrew Wheeler was picked up on charges that he had ammunition as a convicted felon and drug charges. His bond was high $161,000. A minivan was going too slow and the deputy had a hard time seeing the license plate. It led to two arrests, Brenda Smedley of Georgia and Melinda Beckman of Lareda. On drug charges, deputies say they found some methamphetamine and fentanyl, also a three year old in the car. They noticed the car was filled with cockroaches and other insects. The state remains in drought but the threat of wildfires remains. Agriculture commissioner, Wilton Simpson had some tips to keep your property safe. If you see a fire, please say something. If you are mowing your lawn, make sure that it doesn’t spark and catch a fire behind you. Please do not burn outside for now. You’ve got a lot of burn bans in most counties. Check your county. But if you’re not in a burn ban and you’re going to risk doing a fire in your backyard, make sure you put that fire thoroughly out. Glades County voted three to two this week to lift their burn ban. There was some concern from Commissioner Jerry Sapp who lives in Palmdale. He says water is real low in Fish Eating Creek. I do want to lift the burn ban but I just don’t feel comfortable right now. All the years I’ve lived here and I’ve worked and when the rain comes, the rainy season, when it starts, it really comes but we’re not at that point yet, in my opinion. I’m Charles Murphy, WOKC News.
Recorded from the WOKC daily newscast (Glades Media).