WAFC Local News – July 13, 2026, 8:06 AM
Transcript
I’m Charles Murphy reporting. Florida Operation Hurricane impacting Palm Beach County. Two men from the Glades arrested among 46 men charged in the roundup of drugs, guns, and gang members. 29-year-old Demetria Alexandria Gibson of Belle Glade and 34-year-old Kevin Walker of Pahokee are both facing weapons charges. Acting Deputy Attorney General Colin McDonald says they found 94 weapons and over 400 grams of fentanyl and kilos of cocaine. These are firearms that were moving through South Florida, weapons that were targeted for this community. Illegal guns fuel robberies, retaliatory violence, drug trafficking, and murder. ATF Director Rob Sakata says most of these defendants had prior brushes with the law. These are not good people. These are not law-abiding American citizens that we’re targeting. That’s a tall tale that’s spun through the public on a regular basis. ATF doesn’t do that. A Belle Glade man is facing drug charges. Eloy Jimenez facing possession of controlled substances, delivering controlled substances, manufacturing controlled substances, and trafficking methamphetamine, some 27.1 grams. Over 100 grams of drugs were seized. It was a traffic stop for failing to stop at a stop sign on Martin Luther King Boulevard at Southwest 6th Street in Belle Glade. Deputies say they smelled fresh burnt marijuana coming from the vehicle, and they observed marijuana in plain view. The subject said he was on his way to pick up his wife at KFC. Henry County commissioners delayed a public hearing on the John A. Mine proposal until September 14th in Cluiston. The county received one million from the state to study and engineer and design an improvement project on County Road 78. They’ve been seeking funds since 2011. They’re looking to improve the segment between River Road East to Fort Denode Bridge Road. The estimated cost is seven and a half million. Engineer Shane Parker says that would cover about a 2.2 mile stretch of road. That’s adding five foot shoulders, doing some drainage improvements. It’ll still be two 12 foot lanes, but it’ll just be continuation of what you see from old County Road 78. We’ll just be extending that to Fort Denode Bridgeway. And if you’ve been on that segment from Shell Lane to Bridgeway, there’s some pretty rough sections in that travel lane. The city of LaBelle approved a bid of near 3.35 million to harden and enlarge the LaBelle Fire Department. They received a bid of 3.6 million. They expect construction to take 11 to 12 months. The commission heard from several students at Country Oaks Elementary School, wanting them to select an official bird. Each gave a reason for the bird they chose. The schools voted for the red shoulder hawk. The city commission voted to name the cowbird egret as the official bird. I’m Charles Murphy, WAFC News.
Recorded from the WAFC daily newscast (Glades Media).