News Cast for May 28th:
The Okeechobee County School Board approved a reduction in staff for the 2025-2026 school year.
They approved 907 positions for the 2024-2025 school year and 896 positions for the coming year.
Superintendent Dylan Tedders noted none of these 11 positions are filled at the present time so there will be no layoffs.
“They are jobs that are currently not filled right now, some long- term subs and jobs that were vacant.
He said he wants to avoid having large amounts of positions to fill over the summer months.
“We really looked at the numbers and wanted to maintain all the staff that we have currently.
Hopefully in August we don’t come in and say we have 25 vacancies like we have in the past.”
The state budget has not yet been determined and the amount of education funding is not known.
The state legislature is expected to meet next week in Tallahassee to discuss the budget and have a statutory deadline of July 1st to approve the budget.
Tedders said if there is a budget cut at the state level, the district will still be in good shape.
There has been proposals to cut certain programs involving college readiness, dual-enrollment and career and technical training.
“I do think we have the resources built up where we can absorb that hit. There is a coordinated effort of superintendents so our lobbyists and legislators know how much of an impact these cuts will have on things like CTE.”
Tedders said the district is trying to grow the CTE programs and we don’t want to lose any funding.
The Okeechobee Sheriffs Office released more details on a double shooting that occurred in Oak Park last Wednesday.
They called the incident an attempted murder suicide.
The two people involved were husband and wife.
The husband died from his wounds and the wife was airlifted to Lawnwood Regional Medical Center and is expected to make a full recovery.
The investigation is ongoing and the names of those involved was not released.
Okeechobee County Commissioners appear to support an expansion of the Bautech USA project in the industrial park.
Sergio Park requested an additional four lots to lease at the industrial park.
He said they plan to hire new employees and expand the amount of products they manufacture.
The company currently plans to manufacture culverts, concrete pipes, bridge approaches, buildings, retaining walls, and pre-cast concrete products.
“It was a rough start but now we are on track,” he said.
He said they have been a benefit to the county and the community. He said they built a building and had a combined payroll of $5 million since they opened. He said they also attract important people from around the world and the US to Okeechobee.
“We have made an investment of $10 million and we have the latest technology and new equipment,” he added.
They have employed between 20-40 employees depending on demand for products.
A Highlands County jury convicted Lorida resident Virgil West of 2nd degree murder and 2nd degree attempted murder at his retrial last week in Sebring.
The case dates back to July 15, 2015 when West shot and killed Shawn Zeigler and shot and injured Carrie Leaphart of Lorida on White Oak Road.
West admitted he shot the pair but claimed it was in self-defense.
He went to trial last year and the jury convicted him of a weapons charge and tampering with evidence. They deadlocked on the main charges then of first-degree murder and attempted murder.
West was located shortly after the shooting during a traffic stop. He told them he had thrown the gun out of the window of the vehicle. It was later found in a ditch along Kenilworth Blvd.
West was sentenced to 25 years to life with a minimum mandatory sentence of 25 years.
A Mulberry man was charged in Okeechobee with methamphetamine trafficking, fleeing and attempting to elude police, tampering with evidence, and driving with a suspended license.
Matthew Harrison was held on $30,500 bond.
The arrest affidavit said a deputy on routind patrol noticed a vehicle with an obscured tag on route 70 east. The report said the vehicle made an abrupt turn onto SW 11th Avenue and sped up to 60 miles per hour in a residential area.
The deputy gave up the chase but kept the vehicle in sight. He wrote the suspect passed vehicles and forced vehicles off the road. It ended after two miles when the vehicle pulled up on a yard near SW 11th Avenue and SW 6th Street.
A foot chase occurred as the suspect fled the vehicle into a ditch for about 100 yards and then ran toward a wooded area. The deputy noted he continuously was digging for things in his bag as he fled.
The man finally complied and appeared to have a panic attack.
Okeechobee County Fire Rescue arrived and transported him to HCA Raulerson Hospital for treatment. Deputies found two bags of suspected methamphetamines that weighed a total of 20 grams.