WAFC Local News – May 27, 2026, 8:32 AM
Transcript
I’m Charles Murphy reporting. Henry County Commissioner Mitchell Wills would like a red light and crosswalk put in at State Road 80 at Martin Luther King. Department of Transportation has decided to put off work in LaBelle after resistance for new medians and narrow lanes in the downtown area. They would start construction now in 2028-2029. Wills decried the big delays in the LaBelle project. Telling them we want to do different things in the median, they’ve decided it’s going to be 28-29 before they come back. Look at this, that’s just not acceptable. The red light down at MLK and 80 needs to be pulled back out and put in. Crosswalk needs to go away, or they need to put the lighting in for it. They had agreed to put the mast arms up with lighting that would stop traffic. Go down there and watch this a little bit. You’re going to see somebody get splattered. It happens every day, all day. Wills contends that the FDOT is treating people in LaBelle differently than they do others in Florida, citing the improvements they’ve made on US-41 on the coast. Palm Beach Commissioners issued a proclamation to honor agriculture and farmers in the county. Palm Beach remains one of the most productive vegetable-producing counties in the nation. Mayor Sarah Baxter says there’s been some tough economic times for agriculture. Our Florida agricultural industry suffered over 3.1 billion in crop losses due to severe freezing weather events in late January to early February of this year. Yet not notably, our farmers continue to demonstrate strength, resiliency, and adaptability in the face of these heartbreaking economic losses. Agriculture Commissioner Wilson Simpson told the crowd that drought, freeze, and hurricanes have all impacted farmers. Think about $3.1 billion of damage we’ve sustained here in the last few months from freezes. It’s something that your farmers have to work for, work through. We’re very proud of the effort. We’re very proud that Palm Beach is such a large agriculture community. Baxter presented a key to the city to Commissioner Simpson. Glades County schools have made clear they’re not selling the ball fields. The district says when they learned of their financial situation a few months ago, they considered a number of options. They have opted to not pursue selling the ball fields. School board member Crystal Drake confirmed that decision. Maybe we just need to make the public aware that it’s not on the market. It’s not currently on the market. Gang activity in the Glades has been heavily caused by the Knopf Way Gang. Detectives in Palm Beach have been busy arresting several of them in recent days, three that we know of, including 24-year-old Eddie Holland taken into custody over the weekend. 12 others have been charged in a year-long investigation. Authorities say the gang fueled shootings, retaliatory violence, gun crimes, and drug activity across Western Palm Beach County. Also facing charges include Devante Ward, Devante McKay, and others in that investigation, which is still ongoing. Among the charges they are facing is racketeering. Deputies say the Knopf Way Gang has been active since at least 2020. Members were convicted of murders in 2019 and 2020. Many are known to hang out on Northwest 11th Street in Belle Glade. I’m Charles Murphy, WAFC News.
Recorded from the WAFC daily newscast (Glades Media).