WOKC Local News – October 07, 2026, 7:40 AM
Transcript
WOKC News. Hold off on road with WOKC News. I’m Charles Murphy. The county for years has considered paving the road off 441 into the sports complex. It appears they support waiting to find out what happens with property tax reform. This county commissioner, David Hazel Eve. At this point, I’m hesitant to say let’s do that because we don’t know what’s facing us. And if somebody says, well, you’ve been paying a million dollars to build a road when you could have kept the ballparks open, it wouldn’t be my first thing. Commissioner Terry Burroughs suggested the county host a presentation on data centers or a town hall similar to one he had in Hardy County earlier this summer. Republican candidate for Congress in District 9, Dan Green, says he’ll support agriculture if elected. He was recently endorsed by the Florida Farm Bureau and says he’d like to be placed on the Agriculture Committee. I’ll either serve on the Agricultural Committee or the Natural Resources Committee, whatever works out best for our district. As you know, we have the heartland of Florida here, cattle, ranching, farming, producing, growing. It’s the largest agricultural district east of the Mississippi. Attorneys for mass murderers, Zeph and Zaver, pushed for a new trial or a reduced sentence before the Florida Supreme Court. Zaver confessed and there was video recordings of the five murders at the former SunTrust Bank on January 23, 2019. The jury in Sebring recommended death nine to three. Okeechobee resident, Anna Bunyon Williams, was among his victims. Prosecutor Joshua Schell argued that there was a lot of evidence to prove Zaver’s guilt. That he walked into that bank, that he did it under his own free will. And not only that, there was also evidence presented that this was a factor of his own decision because he had always, quote, wanted to kill people. Defense attorney, Philip Massa, says there was judicial error in the trial. In this one particular instance, never advised him of his right to testify. She never advised him of that. And his trial attorney should have brought that to the attention so it’s in the record. No charges yet filed after a teenage meetup in Western Indian River County went violent on Friday. A 17-year-old was shot and killed at the Garcia boat ramp on Route 512. Sheriff Eric Flowers says the shooting was motivated by social media and likes and shares. He says it should be an eye-opener for parents. Parents, you see these videos. You do not want your teens out at these meetups. You do not want them going. It’s not safe. There’s alcohol, there’s guns, and those two just don’t mix. And now add in the fuel of the fire of social media, and now we have a 17-year-old dead. Five people are still hospitalized and three have been killed after a three-vehicle crash on Route 60 west of Yeehaw Junction yesterday morning. They say an express van caused the crash. The van was headed westbound when it went off the shoulder of the road, overcorrected, and entered the eastbound lane. It also flipped over. I’m Charles Murphy, WOKC News.
Recorded from the WOKC daily newscast (Glades Media).