WAFC Local News – October 22, 2026, 8:07 AM
Transcript
I’m Charles Murphy reporting. The former dispatcher for Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office was convicted of DUI manslaughter, vehicular homicide, and other charges for a 2023 crash in Belle Glade. Tony McCauley was sentenced to 16.6 years in prison, five years probation, was given credit for 54 days time served, will pay a $5,000 fine, spend 200 hours on community service, and spend a night in jail on the anniversary of the collision for five years after her release. The crash on US 441 took the life of 37-year-old Cassandra Johnson Downing, seriously injured a seven-year-old, and critically injured a 10-year-old. Henry County unemployment comes in at 5.1% in September. The state says 1,164 people were out of work. That compares to 5.7% in August when we had 1,277 out of work. Neighboring Glades County had a rate of 5.2%. Collier County at 4.7%. Charlotte County at 5.6%. Broward County at 4.1%. And Palm Beach County at 4.4%. The LaBelle City Commission will scrap the idea of converting their Civic Center into city offices. They continue to want to consolidate facilities where they can. The Fire Department has found numerous code violations in the Civic Center, no fire sprinkler system, no alarm system, and routinely have to tell people to leave events because too many are inside. Josh Rimes says currently they can fit about 900 people in there without tables. And we’re getting to the five, six, 700 people in here. You get people out in the streets bragging about how many people that was at that last party on Saturday night at the Civic Center. Alan Hudson wanted the city to remember that they shouldn’t be penalizing the Chamber of Commerce and nonprofits by not allowing them to use the Civic Center. My concern is that the organizations that are doing these things could be financially penalized because of problems created by a small number of events or event organizers. I believe a few bad actors should not dictate policy for everyone else who is doing the right thing and hosting an event for a good cause. In Glades County, Attorney General James Uthmeyer filed a lawsuit against Discord. He claims they are harmful to kids, putting them at risk. He wants a permanent injunction against the social media platform and damages for each child victim up to $150,000. Rita Peters, a children’s advocate, says they’re not safe in their own homes anymore thanks to Discord and other platforms. They don’t have to be physically touched to be exploited. They just have to be online. A child could be manipulated, threatened, coerced, and victimized entirely online. And that harm can be profound and lifelong. Discord disputed the claims in the civil suit, which challenges their age verification, content monitoring, and enforcement of its safety policies. Discord told media outlets the lawsuit does not accurately reflect its platform or safety investments, pointing to new age-related protections and its cooperation with Florida law enforcement. Henry Glades Health Department Director, Dr. Joe Pepe, says over 70% of kids spend at least three hours online each day. If you spend more than three hours online a day, you’re more likely to experience adverse mental health effects, including depression and anxiety. And we know many of our children are suffering from that. I’m Charles Murphy, WAFC News.
Recorded from the WAFC daily newscast (Glades Media).