HURRICANE NEWS
Community
A group of Florida 4-H youth poste near a rocket at Kennedy Space Center.

Florida 4-H aims for the stars with space-focused career advancement program

Florida youth are setting their career sights on the stars with the 4-H youth development program’s...

Community Theatre presents 'A Christmas Carol'

OKEECHOBEE – There’s more than one kind of holiday spirit in Okeechobee Community Theatre’s production of “A Christmas Carol.”

Florida Boards to play in Highlands Hammock State Park

The local Heartland band, Florida Boards, is scheduled to play a Music in the Park (MIP) concert at Highlands Hammock State Park on Dec. 14 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The band was founded by …
Current conditions
Observed from: Okeechobee County Airport
, NA °F
A chance of showers before 2pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm between 2pm and 3pm, then a chance of showers after 3pm. … Get the full forecast
Read Lake Okeechobee News

E-newspaper

Read the latest print edition here.

View this issue

Browse other issues

Lake levels
15.52 feet
Last year: 15.86 feet
Depth given in feet above sea level.
Human Interest
Have you ever wondered where some of your favorite Christmas songs came from?
Is Santa Claus real? Does Santa Claus exist? Is there a Santa Claus?
Okeechobee’s resident expert on musical theatre recently revealed a hidden talent.
Schools
Congratulations to all of the South Elementary School families for collecting the most canned food items...
On Monday, Dec. 11, the staff at Everglades Elementary School participated in a Rock, Paper, Scissor Tournament.
The Indian River State College (IRSC) District Board of Trustees will hold its regularly scheduled monthly...
Wildlife & Environment
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) reminds cattle ranchers to promptly call...
For years, freshwater flow to Florida Bay has been restricted nine months of the year to protect the nesting...
Government
The Florida Rural Economic Development Association (FREDA) proudly recognized five distinguished...
Okeechobee County Technology Administrator Allen Queen gave a presentation to the Okeechobee City council during the council’s Nov. 19 meeting.
If you thought the food truck questions were behind us, you were mistaken.
Police/Fire
The term, “Don’t shoot yourself in the foot,” has come to mean someone inadvertently making a situation worse for yourself or demonstrating gross incompetence. …
Last Saturday, two anonymous callers reported a pickup in the middle of the road and a sleeping driver.
Opinion
Democrats have a golden opportunity to lower drug prices -- again -- before the next Congress begins on January 3.
While the price of eggs was impacted by the loss of millions of laying hens due to bird flu, many factors also...
Okeechobee resident Jerry Farquhar was outraged when he heard the sentence for the man convicted of killing Laken Riley in Athens, Ga.
Hurricane News
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has placed tarps on more than 7,100 homes damaged by Hurricanes Helene and Milton...
Operation Blue Roof is a priority mission managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the Federal Emergency...
Veterans

Who is helping carry your bricks?

"Who is helping you carry the bricks?" asks veteran Gregg Maynard.

Welcome home centenarian, brothers and all Honor Flight heroes

Saturday, November 2, Southeast Florida Honor Flight volunteers will be escorting a full load of veterans on the free trip of a lifetime as the final Honor Flight of 2024 takes off for a daylong trip …
Find Us On Facebook
Agriculture
What if understanding nutrition labels were as easy as reading a traffic light?
Okeechobee County children and adults will have opportunities to learn about local agriculture in January.
As we enter the state’s strawberry-growing season, establishing young strawberry plants in the field...
Health

Food donations can focus on nutrition, not just hunger

Food donations are on the minds of many people, especially around the holidays, as collection drives pop up....

West Palm Beach VA announces new chief of staff for surgery

The West Palm Beach VA Health Care System (WPBVAHCS) announces the appointment of Dr. Gustavo Lopes, DO, FACOS...

Visit The Brain Bus at the Christmas Festival Dec. 14

The Brain Bus will be at Okeechobee Main Street - Flagler Park 55 SE 3rd Ave., during the 2024 Christmas Festival and Parade

Toss lukewarm leftovers, UF/IFAS food safety expert warns

Thanksgiving football is tempting, but don’t let the leftovers linger too long this holiday season.
Business
With the year quickly winding down, Better Business Bureau has compiled our naughty list of the top 12 holiday scams.
Seminole Brighton Bay Hotel & Casino, which is set to open in early 2025, has scheduled open call interviews every Tuesday through Dec. 17.   The …
The United States Postal Service is primed and ready to deliver exceptional service during the 2024 holiday rush...
Traffic & Road Work

AAA: Florida’s average gas price briefly dips below $3 a gallon

Florida gas prices averaged $3.10 per gallon on Sunday, Dec. 8.

US 98 lane closures start Dec. 9

Daytime lane closures will occur on US 98 (SR 700) between NW 80th Avenue and approximately half a mile north of NW 160th Street ...

Okeechobee County Road Watch

OKEECHOBEE COUNTY — The following column is the Road Watch report for Okeechobee County for the week beginning Sunday, Dec. 8, provided by the Florida Department of Transportation. …

OCPD announces upcoming traffic changes due to FDOT construction

The Okeechobee Police Department would like to inform the public about an important construction project...
State

Florida lawmaker's party switch increases Republican supermajority in the House

Democratic Florida state Rep. Susan Valdés is switching parties, which will extend Republicans' supermajority in the House. Valdés, a former school board member from Tampa, announced her decision …

Trump's Cabinet picks set off political chain reaction in Florida congressional races

The field of candidates has been set for two special elections in Florida to replace members of Congress nominated for positions in President-elect Donald Trump’s new administration. Two dozen …
National & World

Israeli strikes on Gaza kill at least 26, Palestinian medics say

Palestinian medical officials say Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip have killed at least 26 people overnight. One of the strikes hit a home where displaced people were sheltering in the isolated …

These Palestinians disappeared after encounters with Israeli troops in Gaza

Dozens of Palestinians are receiving help from an Israeli legal group in their search for family members who went missing after being separated by Israeli soldiers during raids and arrests in the …
HURRICANE NEWS
Special Sections
x