WAFC Local News – November 17, 2025, 8:47 AM
Transcript
I’m Charles Murphy reporting. A clueless man was sentenced to three years in prison and two years probation on charges of aggravated battery and aggravated assault. Henry County Circuit Court records show Hendry Venicio Ordonez-Gregory pled no contest to two felony charges. He’ll also make restitution to the victim and pay just over $700 in court costs. The subject committed a stabbing on Twin Lakes Drive on August 2nd of last year. Henry County Sheriff’s deputies say the victim was stabbed in the stomach and that alcohol played a factor in the incident. The victim recovered after treatment at Gold Coast Medical Center. The original charge of attempted homicide was reduced to aggravated battery. Caleb Hudson qualified for the 2026 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic with a victory on Lake Ugachubi at the Nitro Boats Bassmaster Elite Qualifier this weekend. He had a three-day total of 52 pounds and six ounces, catching 16 and a half pounds on Saturday to win the tournament. The city of LaBelle has beaved up their fire department. They recently introduced seven new firemen. They also increased the assessment for the first time in decades. They will lower the tax rate to try and help residents. They’ll soon have a ladder truck delivered. The department also includes EMTs, paramedics and those with medical training. They handle calls out to Pioneer Estates. Mayor Julie Wilkins says they tried to get fire relief with the assessment. And our intent was to be able to lower the millage rate. Unfortunately, there were a lot of other costs because everything’s gone up and we weren’t able to lower it very much. The mayor says great volunteers are helping the department but they’re not available during the day. You have to have a full-time job to pay the bills and you know it it makes it difficult to respond to fires during the middle of the day. Congressman Scott Franklin, a Navy vet, says he supports the new policy in Florida to allow open carry of handguns. He has no issues with that decision. But I understand and respect the open carry. Many other states already have that. It has not presented the problems that some on the other side of the argument would try to contend. So I’m just interested to see how the legislature makes the modifications to get this into place. Franklin has a concealed carry permit and he says he won’t openly carry firearms. Personally, if someone comes into a situation, their intent on doing harm to innocent people, I think the first thing they’re going to do is look for the person with the gun and take them out first. So I don’t want to highlight myself that way. Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Angolia provided checks for two million dollars to local sheriff’s office for their work on the immigration deportation efforts. The amount of illegal immigrants that have been settling into our communities over the past couple of decades has been in the tens of millions. A lot of them settling here in the state of Florida. Now, not all of them are violent offenders, but some of them are. Some of them are committing crimes and it’s those criminals that we need to get out of our communities because it’s those criminal criminals that are wreaking havoc among our communities. He provided just over $994,000 to the Palm Beach Sheriff. Glades County schools would like help from the state in repaying money for the Moorhaven Elementary School. They owe about $5.7 million. They would also like appropriations to help West Glades School with a new roof and new heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. The roof alone is $4.5 million. The district generates about $2 million per year for capital improvements. Assistant Superintendent Brian Grassett says there’s substantial completion of the elementary school this month. They plan to open January 6th. We plan on bringing students in January 6th. We are on time and under budget right now, believe it or not. I’m Charles Murphy, WAFC News.
Recorded from the WAFC daily newscast (Glades Media).