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Florida COVID-19 deaths at 24,274

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Current conditions

Observed from: Okeechobee County Airport

Fair, NA °F

Patchy fog after 4am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 61. East wind around 5 mph becoming calm. Get the full forecast

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Coronavirus

- Florida now requires proof of state residency for COVID-19 vaccinations
  
  Following weeks of complaints that scant vaccination supplies were being taken up by those from out of state, or even tourists...
- Publix vaccination appointments fill up quickly; more appointments to be open Wednesday
  
  Some Florida Publix pharmacies are now distribution points for the COVID-19 vaccine, and appointments fill up quickly.
- Frustration grows for those seeking COVID-19 vaccinations
  
  Area residents continue to be frustrated with problems securing COVID-19 vaccination appointments.

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Community

2021 Clewiston Sugar Festival canceled

Due to concerns about COVID-19, the annual Sugar Festival has been canceled.

Library to have Green Thumb Garden Club Nook

A Green Thumb Garden Club Nook will be created where the garden/horticulture books...

The Tree Park is one of many ongoing beautification projects happening in the Harlem Community.

Harlem hosts MLK Day Service Project

Observed each year on the third Monday in January as “a day on, not a day off,” Martin Luther King Jr. Day (also called MLK Day) is the only...

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Weather

Five-day Rainfall Totals from Tropical Storm Eta Across South Florida.

Eta was rare November surprise for South & SW Florida and the Keys

Now that the water has receded and the cleanup is underway, let’s take a closer look at Eta’s track as well as how rare of an event...

National Hurricane Center updates projections for Tropical Storm Eta

MIAMI – The National Hurricane Center has updated the projected path of Tropical Storm Eta.

Floridians now need to brace for Eta

IMMOKALEE — The National Weather Service provided a special briefing Thursday morning about the expected path and strengthening of Tropical Depression Eta toward the Florida peninsula, which …

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Police/Fire

Two die, two critically injured in State Road 80 crash

According to the Florida Highway Patrol report, a sedan driven by a 38-year-old Alva man was traveling east on State Road 80 at a high rate of speed...

Man charged with child sexual abuse

On Nov. 13, 2020, a warrant for the arrest of Ringo was issued for sexual battery...

Man arrested for allegedly firing into an occupied vehicle

On Monday, Jan. 11, at approximately 12:33 a.m., Hendry County deputies responded to a caller reporting a shooting in the Twin Lakes area of Clewiston.

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Lake Okeechobee

Allapattah Ranch Wetland Reserve project ribbon cutting Jan. 21

MARTIN COUNTY – The South Florida Water Management District Governing Board will meet on Jan. 21, at 10:30 a.m. at the Allapattah Ranch Wetland Reserve project site in Martin County for an …

Lake Okeechobee Aquatic Plant Management Interagency Task Force tmeets Jan. 12

The next Lake Okeechobee Aquatic Plant Management Interagency Task Force meeting will be held via WEBEX on Tuesday, Jan. 12.

Lake Okeechobee could start wet season dangerously high

With Lake Okeechobee at 15.73 feet above sea level on Jan. 8, the corps is taking a break to review the latest weather forecasts...

Corps transitions to Lake Okeechobee dry season operations

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District finished its transition into dry season operations on Lake Okeechobee...

Lake Okeechobee releases to St. Lucie to stop Saturday

Lake releases to St. Lucie River to stop on Saturday

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Sports

Clewiston soccer hosts Senior Night

The Clewiston Tiger varsity soccer team hosted its Senior Night on Jan. 20 before their game against the Glades Day Gators. Among the seniors recognized before the game was captain Josue Gonzalez, …

Pictured above are the competitors who represented the South Region at the Elks State Soccer Shoot held at the Elks Youth Camp in Umatilla on Saturday, Jan. 9. In the back row are Jenisis Hernandez (Clewiston) U-16 Champion; Xol Placencia (Florida Keys) U-16, second; Jillian Barton (Clewiston) U-16, second; Katheryn Rodriguez (Jupiter) U-12, second; Jace Vallejo (Clewiston) U-14 second; and Brittney Casique (Clewiston) U-14 second. In the front row are Sofia Velasco (Okeechobee) U-8 second; Mason Molina (Clewiston) U-8 second; Michelle Rodriguez (Jupiter) U-10 third; Terrance Ford (Clewiston) U-12 fourth; and Brayden Casique (Clewiston) U-10 fourth.

Local children participate in Elks Soccer Shoot

Photos of competitors and winners of the Elks State Soccer Shoot held in Umatilla.

Lake Apopka Fish Tag Challenge has $5,000 prize

The angler who catches Jim Thomas during the contest period and returns the tag to the FWC will be awarded...

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Entertainment

Annual Cracker Trail Ride set for Feb. 12-20

The 2021 Annual Florida Cracker Trail Association Cross State Ride is set for Feb. 12-20.

Professional bull riding in Okeechobee on Jan. 30-31

For the first time in league history, PBR’s (Professional Bull Riders) elite Unleash The Beast will buck into Okeechobee

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Human Interest

Guardian ad Litem Foundation raises $66,800 at Voices of Hope Gala

The Guardian ad Litem Foundation, 20th Judicial Circuit, raised $66,800 at its inaugural Voices of Hope Gala...

Lake Worth: The Seminole’s ‘Breadbasket’ in 1841

When the first pioneers settled along the shores of Lake Worth in the late 1870s, they found a pristine wilderness and assumed...

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Schools

UF study on termites’ evolution tells us they are more than wood-eating roaches

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Schools

UF study on termites’ evolution tells us they are more than wood-eating roaches

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Hendry County Arrest Report

The following individuals were arrested on felony or driving under the influence charges. This column lists arrests, not convictions, unless otherwise stated.

Clewiston man arrested on charges of armed robbery

On Dec. 29, 2020, Hendry County Deputies responded to 6480 Flaghole Road after receiving a report of an armed robbery.

Anonymous donor hires soon-to-open hometown BBQ restaurant to feed people in need

Earlier this week an unnamed donor called on Samuel Edwards, owner and head chef of soon-to-open Staghorn Kitchen in Clewiston, to help feed nearby families in need.

Government

Health Department confronts challenges of mass vaccine distribution

With just 500 vaccines received per week, and an overwhelming tidal wave of demand to receive them...

Social Security Matters

AMAC Certified Social Security Advisor Russell Gloor answers your questions about Social Security.

Social Security Matters

Have questions about Social Security? Certified Social Security Advisor Russell Gloor has some answers.

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Business

FPL ends coal-fired power generation in Florida

After the clock struck midnight on Dec. 31, Florida Power & Light Company formally closed its last coal-fired plant in Florida...

FPL accepting applications for small business bill credits

FPL began accepting applications for its new Main Street Recovery Credit Program, offering credits to qualifying small businesses

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Agriculture

Global gardeners help UF tomato breeding program

Normally, University of Florida scientists such as Harry Klee gauge the taste and aroma of their new tomatoes by letting volunteers them...

Insect dormancy discovery offers clues to flipping the hibernation switch

Can the biological impulse that prompts a dormancy period in some living beings be activated in other organisms, including humans?

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Health

VA’s Veterans Health Administration celebrates 75 years

This year, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) commemorates 75 years of...

Palms West Hospital’s first baby of 2021 born to Clewiston mom

Palms West Hospital welcomed the first baby of 2021. Elias Valdez was born on Friday, Jan. 1 at 4:05 p.m.

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Traffic & Road Work

Hendry County Road & Bridge Dept. to conduct road repair on Blumberg Road

Hendry County Road & Bridge will be conducting road repairs on Blumberg Road...

Hendry County Road Watch Report for the week of Jan. 10

Hendry County Road & Bridge to conduct road repairs on Blumberg Road

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State News

Florida man charged with killing mother, attacking neighbor

TITUSVILLE, Fla. (AP) — A man from Florida's Space Coast was charged Sunday with killing his mother and then going inside a nearby house and attacking a neighbor, authorities said. Scott Main, …

Florida man faces Capitol riot charges after posting images

FORT PIERCE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida man who posted photos and videos of himself inside the nation's Capitol during a riot by loyalists of President Donald Trump is now facing criminal …

Deputies say missing man killed by man from dating app date

DELAND, Fla. (AP) — A Florida man who had gone missing was killed by a man he met on a dating app, authorities said Sunday. Michael Harris, 20, was arrested Saturday for the death of 63-year-old …

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National & World

Mexico's president says he's tested positive for COVID-19

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Sunday he has tested positive for COVID-19 and that the symptoms are mild. Mexico's president, who has been criticized for …

After failed Trump romance, France seeks reset under Biden

PARIS (AP) — After increasingly strained U.S.-France relations under Donald Trump, President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed Sunday to work closely together to fight the …

VIRUS TODAY: More hospital ICUs edge nearer a breaking point

Here’s what’s happening Sunday with the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S.: THREE THINGS TO KNOW TODAY — Straining to handle record numbers of COVID-19 patients, hundreds of the nation’s …

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Opinion

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