WAFC Local News – October 07, 2026, 8:06 AM
Transcript
I’m Charles Murphy reporting. The Henry County School District added a health benefit, giving insured employees and their families access to Henry Regional Clinics. It began October 1st. Employees can receive care at the Henry Regional Convenient Care Center at 450 South Main Street in LaBelle and the Dr. James D. Forbes Family Care Center at 500 West Sagamore Avenue in Clewiston. Covered services with little to no copay include primary and wellness care, sick visits, laboratory services, most x-rays, cardiology and orthopedic care. School board member Paul Sammerdijk applauded the clinic contract. I’m so proud of you guys. Our administration, the hospital, worked together so well. Palm Beach County Commissioners want to do something to better regulate vaping stores. The legislature trying to limit what local governments can do. They could try to write some new zoning regulations and keep them further away from schools. Vape shops have been found selling synthetic marijuana, cathyones and kratom, often marketed to appeal to youth. Some shops have accused of targeting schools, prompting school and community leaders to call for stricter oversight. Bobby Powell, county commissioner, doesn’t want to criminalize vapes. Nobody has been helped who has been a drug user who has been charged with a felony. The people’s families, the individual, the person who is abusing drugs, who goes to jail or goes to prison because they have a problem, does not fix that problem because they received a felony. Joe Flores wants more parenting of kids like checking their book bags and duffel bags. I caught my daughter with with a vape pen. I wanted to strangle her. Chief, I promise you I did not. It was a mental strangulation where I was like, what are you doing? But, you know, if this happens in a good household, this happens anywhere. Riviera Beach police chief Michael Coleman also wants to restrict these vape stores from around schools. We had a tipping point. I’m going to keep saying tipping point because we don’t do something now. We’re going to have a situation where we can’t recover from. Glades County Sheriff recently purchased body cameras for all road patrol deputies. They were already required with the guards at the ICE detention facility. Lieutenant Gary Johnson says these cameras can help the deputies. I had an in-car camera. At first, you kind of like, ah, you know, you have second thoughts about it. But then people start complaining on you and you’ve got it videoed. And it’s like I did my job the way I’m taught to do it and the way it’s supposed to be done. And it just squashes stuff. He says Glades, for the most part, has seen minimal ice activity other than the detention center. Occasionally we have had them come through the county and there has been some traffic stops that whenever the people are ran, they are flagged with ice holds. And, you know, we have a job to do and we have to do it. So we do take them into custody. Our jail, our holdings facility is full right now. And we’re just trucking along. We’re doing great. Among a rash in East George, a bell glade is charred with aggravated child neglect and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. She allegedly was throwing a perfume bottle at her boyfriend while babysitting and hit the young child in the mouth, instead causing some serious injuries. The child had to go to a hospital and also a dental care facility for emergency care. A 27 year old LaBelle man, Chase Draper, is facing charges of battery on law enforcement. It’s after a case of road rage in LaBelle. They described the vehicle and located it on State Road 80. The vehicle kept on traveling for a moment and ran a stop sign and ultimately crashed. When additional deputies arrived, the suspect allegedly became physically aggressive and attempted to attack one of the deputies. They were able to get him to the ground and handcuff him. One of the deputies was kicked in the groin. He also allegedly spit at one of the deputies. There was body camera footage of the incident. I’m Charles Murphy, WAFC News.
Recorded from the WAFC daily newscast (Glades Media).