WAFC Local News – September 04, 2026, 8:06 AM
Transcript
I’m Charles Murphy reporting. It’s Labor Day weekend, the traditional end of the summer. Roads expected to be full around Florida. Florida Highway Patrol says they’ll have all available personnel on patrol. We’re going to see a lot of traffic. They advise you to check your tires, get plenty of sleep, know the route you’re going, don’t drink and drive, obey traffic laws and buckle up if you’re traveling. Lieutenant Quag Bueno says all of these things can keep you safe. All of us have to be in this together to keep our roads safe and it only takes one person doing something that they shouldn’t be doing and it puts a lot of other lives in jeopardy and especially on a holiday weekend we will have increased volume of traffic on our roadways so we certainly all want to be on point. Bueno also says that they’ll be watching for people who are reckless and those that have been drinking alcoholic beverages. Those individuals that are driving aggressive or high rates of speed or of course impairment and those are always the ones that we’re searching for and looking for. Labor Day is also one of the busiest boating weekends of the year. It’ll be a bit tricky on Lake Okeechobee this weekend with the levels still hovering around 11 feet. It’s going to be a lot. Labor Day traditionally is one of the biggest boating holidays of the year. That’s Jeff Moog who says boaters should be prepared for longer lines at South Florida boat ramps, fuel docks and parking areas. He says be careful in this low water. You know, knowing the waterway, as you say, the water level is low on Okeechobee or any waterway. You want to know where the shallow waters are, where the stumps are. You also should keep a close lookout for other boaters including less experienced operators and obey low wake zones. Boaters also can anticipate more law enforcement on the water and also you should know the weather outlook. That weather changes frequently so you know you want to use the weather apps and forecasting resources that are at your beck and call but you also want to just keep an eye out. He also says file a flight plan with loved ones, use your life jacket, don’t drink alcohol, care for your passengers and try not to get mad at other boaters. It’s called boat rage. Yeah, yeah there is. Although I would say that boat rage is probably a little a little less common because you know we’re all out there having a good time. A 37 year old Okeechobee man is facing drug and other charges after a traffic stop north of the Brighton Seminole Indian Reservation. Joss Varnes was traveling in a vehicle that police knew was unregistered and the tag was not assigned to that vehicle. When they pulled him over, he allegedly denied the allegation. They also found a couple of knives on the suspect. He also was driving with his license suspended and they found some ammunition for a shotgun and some cocaine allegedly. The arrest made by Glade’s county deputies. He’s facing charges that include possession with intent to sell methamphetamine. He has nine prior felony convictions. A machete attack in Belle Glade. The suspect to be charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon resisting arrest and battery with a prior conviction for battery. Ronnie Mincy is alleged to have hit another man in the back of the head with the machete and also hitting him in the hand as he defended himself. The 46 year old allegedly chased after the man in the area of the 600 block of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The victim suffered lacerations to his neck and head area. I’m Charles Murphy, WAFC News.
Recorded from the WAFC daily newscast (Glades Media).