WAFC Local News – June 19, 2026, 8:06 AM
Transcript
I’m Charles Murphy reporting. Two recent apartment fires at the same time had Belgrade firemen scrambling. Palm Beach Fire Chief Geraldine Jaramillo says she plans to spend more time in the summer on public education. She says they’ve been putting in smoke detectors for poor senior citizens. All these fires have been deemed accidental. Accidental that means it could be a bearing or it could be a pot on the stove or it could be electrical. So there have not been arson and they have not been because I can say you know somebody not paying attention. Henry County School Board member Stephanie Buesen was reelected without an opponent this year. She debated fifth graders at a special event and heard kids do not like the new private lunchroom menu. She’d like to see some improvements made. For me this is a year for them to prove themselves and like it’s going to be a special interest for me as a school board member. They’re selling us a Cadillac. I want a Cadillac for our kids. They’re also talking about demolishing the white building in Clewiston but they have uncovered asbestos. Glades County Commissioners moving ahead with a non-binding referendum ballot question on fire rescue services in November’s election. They discussed adding new firemen and paramedics. Currently they have two full-time firemen on duty 24 hours a day. They are using the election to gauge how taxpayers feel about the idea. Commission Chairman Tim Stanley wanted to have some feedback on the ballot. It’s a waste of time if if we don’t get the people the backing from the people. If they don’t want it then they don’t want it but if they want it then we’ll work that way but that’s the main reason I want I’ve been pushing to get this on the ballot so that we have some kind of guidance from the people the taxpayers. Commissioner Hattie Taylor says the ballot question will not get into the amount of tax they will charge. We don’t have any idea of what it would take to fund fire department and so people could pay their taxes but not see any improved services. Is that a chance is there a chance of that happening? Congressman Maxwell Frost says he wants a complete investigation into the death of a 19 year old at the Glades County Detention Center in Moorhaven in March. Frost called for more transparency and accountability from ICE. Warrior Perez Jimenez is said to have committed suicide in the ICE Center March 16th. The congressman says he’d like to have an independent investigation into the death. He also wants a report on how Jimenez was treated at the center and the conditions of the center as a whole. Frost has been against ICE from the beginning. He says he doesn’t think we’re any safer now that they have deported all these folks. Do you feel like there’s less chaos in our communities now than you did two years ago? Donald Trump doesn’t care about your safety. He cares about power and that’s what all of this is about. The heat is brutal. Heat and humidity advisories across central and South Florida today until 7 o’clock tonight. National Weather Service meteorologist Chuck Caracosa says heat advisories could be reissued through the weekend as this heat appears ready to make a home here. This type of heat will affect anyone without proper cooling or hydration so if you have any outdoor activities planned it’s important to take plenty of breaks and stay well hydrated. I’m Charles Murphy, WAFC News.
Recorded from the WAFC daily newscast (Glades Media).