WOKC Local News – October 09, 2026, 7:40 AM
Transcript
WOKC News. Some new fishing regulations. With WOKC News, I’m Charles Murphy. The Freshwater Fish Commission is looking for mandatory reports on commercial fishing on Lake Okeechobee, including electronic trip tickets. They’ll be asking how much the fishermen harvest, what fish they target, and new quality control measures like ice for fresh-caught fish. Natalie Howard says the FWC did impose some restrictions on Lake Okeechobee when we had the low water this summer. They’re low water boundaries, so when the water levels are below 11 feet, it pushes them one mile further offshore and north of the southern reef. This is to protect any vegetation that’s growing back in our shoreline areas. We don’t want them to drag the Holstein through there. The FWC also honored Dr. Paul Gray. He has retired from the Audubon Society after over 30 years of service. The Okeechobee Education Foundation was honored by the school board for helping provide job skills for more ESE students. The school board honored five school bus drivers for perfect attendance in the past year, April Hoff, Jeff Saver, Janelle Velasquez, Callais Perez, and Terry Bigford. Martin County schools want the district to study the impacts of a proposed data center in Indiantown. They’re considering a campus combination of Warfield Elementary and Indiantown Middle School. School board member Amy Pritchett wondered if it will interfere with a child’s education and concentration. She’s advocating they push off the merger a while. I kind of feel like we’re in COVID again, where we don’t know and we don’t know who to trust. And I feel until we can know that we are making the very best decision for children, I don’t think we should move ahead with any type of moving Warfield until we have solid evidence. Glades County has purchased body cameras for all road patrol deputies. Lieutenant Gary Johnson thinks these cameras can help the deputies. I had an in-car camera. At first, you kind of like, ah, you know, you have second thoughts about it, but then people start complaining on you and you’ve got it videoed and it’s like, I did my job the way I’m taught to do it and the way it’s supposed to be done and it just squashes stuff. Previously, other corrections guards at the ICE detention and Glades County jail were required to wear them. In the courts, a child pornography case ends in a lengthy prison sentence. Wayne Adams of Oogachubi will spend over 24 years in prison. He’ll also have to register as a sex offender. He pled no contest to the 14 felonies. FDLE investigated the case. He was allegedly living in Oogachubi at a trailer park and downloading images and videos that depicted child pornography. An aggressive driver is facing drug charges, Oogachubi deputies say, and even Luchin was spotted driving recklessly on Route 70 and then on to Southeast 16th Avenue, going 40 in a 25. He ended up being pulled over. They found some methamphetamine and marijuana in the vehicle. I’m Charles Murphy, WOKC News.
Recorded from the WOKC daily newscast (Glades Media).