WAFC Local News – October 30, 2026, 8:06 AM
Transcript
I’m Charles Murphy reporting. Henry County Commissioner is discussing once again school zone cameras. Emma Byrd says some motorists are getting bogus tickets as the cameras have made mistakes. I beg your pardon. They want you to go to court so I’m gonna miss a whole day for a hundred dollar ticket and I just think it’s wrong. And they want you to go to court each time when you call. So I call for several people and each time they want you to go to court. Commissioner Mitchell-Wills supports tickets for school zone violators. He says he witnessed a child being struck by a vehicle once that sped by a stopped school bus and will never forget it. A 47 year old Ohio woman is charged with leaving a child alone for a few days so she could go to a cult and take drugs. Anzalika Nikolska of Ohio was in LaBelle renting a Airbnb and left the juvenile apparently at home. Henry County deputies tried to get in touch with the parents but were unsuccessful. The charge against her is child neglect. The LaBelle Commission approved two variances for the Heritage Oaks Professional Center at 100 North Lee Street. Commissioner Bobbie Spratt had some reservations about the project. I hate that we’re gonna take down so many oak trees. I really do. I appreciate you finding the sick ones. I do. But I think this is something that we need. I really think this is something that we need. Matt Valentine said he had changed the plans for the Heritage Oaks Professional Center. We have saved every inch of tree that we can. A South Bay man was sentenced to two years probation and 10 days in jail for an injury crash in Martin County. 71 year old Alton Winters made an open plea to charges he fled the scene of the crash and caused injury and property damage. His court costs were $733. Restitution was to be determined at a future hearing. The crash occurred on Canner Highway on February 17, 2025. One vehicle in the accident entered into a pond. Good Samaritans were able to remove the driver and a five-year-old child from the vehicle. Both were hospitalized. Stewart Police say they located the truck and trailer at a produce business downtown. Winters admitted that he remembered hitting something down the road but claimed he did not see anything. Clades County Sheriff David Harden is among the sheriffs opposed to Amendment 3. The Florida Sheriffs Association as a body is opposed to the property tax reform measure. Lieutenant Gary Johnson speaking for Harden in Buckhead Ridge says they need to look beyond the headlines and really know what this amendment is all about. This isn’t about being against change. It’s about making sure change is thoughtful, responsible, and doesn’t create unintended consequences for the people who live, work, and raise their families in these small counties. He says services in Clades County could be cut if it’s approved. Rural counties deserve the ability to make the decisions that fit their own needs. What works in a large metropolitan area may not work for us small counties. A 46-year-old Clewiston man Joel Alvarez Ramos is charged with aggravated battery for an incident earlier this month on North Grandia Street. Deputies from Hendry County responded to a disturbance. He claimed that another man had punched him in the face. The victim was treated by Montura Firemen. He claimed he got into an argument with the subject which became physical and that the suspect grabbed a broom and struck him in the head. I’m Charles Murphy, WAFC News.
Recorded from the WAFC daily newscast (Glades Media).