WAFC Local News – June 17, 2026, 8:06 AM
Transcript
I’m Charles Murphy reporting. A man is dead after a crash in Belgrade. 65-year-old Oscar Vidal Araliga of Hialeah Gardens was in a Nissan pickup traveling southbound on US 27. For some unknown reason, he drove on to the west shoulder and impacted into the rear of the second vehicle, a semi truck that had been parked alongside the road. Araliga was pronounced deceased at the crash scene. Prosecutors have filed a motion for pre-trial detention in a Henry County case against Ralph Jerome Garvin. He’s facing charges of kidnapping a minor under 13. Prosecutors say that is a dangerous crime, a first-degree felony, and that he should be held without bond pending his trial. Dairy farmer Ben Butler is running for Congress in District 9. The new district will cover Glades County. He was asked why he’s running for the post. Was we needed somebody that would represent our rural communities? He says he’s gotten a lot of support for his campaign. I got just phone calls after phone calls, Ben, do it, do it. But recognizing that this is a two and a half, three month sprint to the August 18 primary. He also wants to help agriculture and bring rural values to Washington. We hold our food production to a higher standard than maybe other countries, and it costs us more. And where President Trump was getting at was we need to level that playing field. We need to keep our food production in addition, we need to keep manufacturing local. He notes prices on dairy products have been depressed, but he thinks it’s only temporary now that the war in Iran is over with. Henry County has lifted their burn ban on unregulated outdoor fires. Residents still should exercise caution when burning outside due to the dry conditions. Some of their advice is keep your burn pile small and manageable, no greater than eight feet in height. Keep an open area and never leave it unattended. Have a water source available. Ensure the fire is completely out before you leave it. The fire must be ignited after 9 a.m. Eastern time and must be extinguished one hour before sunset. And always check the weather conditions and wind conditions before burning. Clewiston Mayor Jimmy Pittman says he’d like to workshop the issue of eliminating positions at City Hall. He says a city employee lost their job when the position was eliminated. The problem is the commission didn’t decide that, which is their power in the city charter. But I just hate for someone to lose their job because the position’s been eliminated and that’s the commission’s job to determine. No workshop has yet been scheduled. South Florida Public Radio reporting a sergeant at Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office was disciplined by Sheriff Rick Bradshaw when he took County Mayor Sarah Baxter on a helicopter trip deemed a sightseeing tour. He was also investigated for ordering an agent to drive the mayor to the National Collegiate Football Championship at Hard Rock Stadium. The sergeant was honored by Baxter in 2024 for his work on the street crimes unit in the acreage where she lives. The mayor reportedly told the sergeant that the trip to the football game was for official county business. The average ticket of the game cost as much as $6,000. I’m Charles Murphy, WAFC News.
Recorded from the WAFC daily newscast (Glades Media).