WAFC Local News – September 18, 2026, 8:06 AM
Transcript
I’m Charles Murphy reporting. The storm of 1928 over Lake Ogochilbe remembered in Port Mayaki. The city of Pahokee puts on that annual observance. City Manager Brenda Bryant called it a day of remembrance. Relatives of many who died carried their memories forward for decades. We honor this sacred ground where so many victims of that horrible event lay and rest today. The Reverend James White of Pahokee said so many died in that storm and what a tragedy. We just spent 30 seconds of prayer for every life that was lost. We’ll be here till tomorrow afternoon sometime. Today is the 100th anniversary of the storm that hit this side of the lake and Moorhaven. The earthen dike holding back the lake gave way on September 18, 1926 and the death tolls between 150 and 300 people. The exact number was never confirmed. Palm Beach Teacher Association President Gordon Longhofer congratulated long-term board member Marcia Andrews who’s retiring after 16 years on that school board. John McGovern won her school board seat in August. Longhofer thanked Andrews for her contribution. I dare say that nobody in this room or nobody has walked through this room in recent history that has impacted children and their families in Palm Beach County through our school system in the myriad of ways that you have. So congratulations on a wonderful run. Andrews worked 35 years for the Palm Beach school system before retiring. The Cleveland City Commission honored the district 9 and 10 year old girls softball team that won the district championship and played in the state tournament this summer. The team raised some $10,000 for expenses. Chris Clark introduced some of the team to the commission. These are the 8 to 10 all-star softball. They won their district and they’re on the way to the state championship. Lieutenant Gary Johnson of the Glades County Sheriff’s Office spoke on a recent bizarre arrest near the Sheriff’s gun range he was involved in. A suspect just yards away from deputies testing firearms was doing drugs and allegedly possessing a trafficking amount of narcotics. Lieutenant Johnson says the drug dealer was kind of desperate and lit up and even offered him one. They don’t think logically whenever they have to have that fix. It’s where can I get to get it right now? And lo and behold he happened to stop right there in the driveway of the gun range as we were out there doing some test firing of guns that were evidence. And obviously he could hear the gunfire and that and he just must not have cared. The Cleveland Chamber of Commerce announced they’ll be hosting a commissioner candidate forum next week. There’ll be a live stream at 6 p.m. on September 23rd. Seats are limited. You must be a chamber member to come in person. A traffic stop on Flag Hole Road in Clueston leads to the arrest of 51-year-old Phillip Hicks. A K-9 unit responded to the scene and K-9 Valco was able to find methamphetamine. It was a crystal-like rock found in some ice. In a styrofoam cup they weighed it and it was 842 grams. A female sheriff deputy in Palm Beach shot a man to death, 32-year-old Rex Allender McGann, during a violent struggle. Sheriff Rick Bradshaw commented on the Thursday morning incident. He lunges at her to grab her gun and then they get into a very violent confrontation. He finally pushes her back, knocks her off her feet. She hits her head on the ground in the back. He’s on top of her. They’re still wrestling for the gun. He finally starts beating her in the face and in the chest to see if he can knock her unconscious. She was able to get to her firearm and shoot the guy to stop the assault on her, which was very, very violent. I’m Charles Murphy, WAFC News.
Recorded from the WAFC daily newscast (Glades Media).