An Avon Park woman remained in Highlands County Jail in lieu of $6,000 bond Wednesday, after she was accused of selling an anklet stolen from William's Pawn shop on U.S. 27 in Avon Park, to A-1 Pawn shop, on South Commerce Avenue in Sebring. ...more

September 5, 2008

More demand for recycled materials and better technology to process them have combined to raise Highlands County's revenue from its recycling operation to an all-time high. ...more

July 18, 2008

Marion County Animal Center has closed after an outbreak of diseases contaminated the facility. They expect to euthanize about 80 dogs. ...more

July 10, 2008

SEBRING — Here are six things you probably don't know about Carl Cool, who is retiring from his post as Highlands County administrator after decades of service. ONE: Late-Night Lonely At about 1 a.m., Christy Reed, the director of Highlands County's recycling program, was in the loneliest, saddest place she could be. She was standing in a deserted hospital hallway and had just received the news from a nurse that her father had passed away. Reed said in the minutes after she learned that her father's long battle with illness had ended with his death, she felt more lonely than she thought a person could feel. "Suddenly," Reed said, "I turned and saw two people there, standing, waiting for me. One was Carl Cool, and the other was Claude Howerton (then a county commissioner)." Reed said both men gave her a hug and helped tremendously in easing the pain of that night. Howerton and Cool had driven to the hospital separately after getting phone calls reporting that Reed's father was close to passing away. Both men drove to the hospital and waited to see if they could give any comfort or help to Reed if her father did pass away. ...more

May 31, 2008

A 14-year-old boy recently set a record for heaviest fish caught at Plant City's Kids All American Fish Derby. ...more

February 20, 2008

AVON PARK — An Avon Park New Year's Eve party reportedly erupted into violence early Tuesday morning between an Avon Park family, two others and police officers responding to a complaint, leading to the arrest of five people. Richard Mendez, 47, of Avon Park, was charged with battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest with violence. He was later charged with corruption by threat against a law enforcement officer. ...more

January 3, 2008

SARASOTA - The Sarasota Family YMCA's top foster care administrator officially resigned from the agency today. ...more

December 10, 2007

SEBRING – If the Highlands County recycling program makes the community environmentally "green," then the county is a lot greener today. For the first time in four years, the drop-off recycling program is again accepting office paper and junk mail. "That is good news that we want to get out there," said Christy Reed, recycling program manager. "It opens up new possibilities to glean more revenue and, of course, up our (recycled) tonnage," she said. "More importantly, it's keeping materials – natural resources – out of the landfill that otherwise would be lost forever." ...more

December 3, 2007

Congratulations to Avon Park police officers Adam Willis and Christy Harbaugh for seeing, stopping and arresting three drunken occupants of a Chevy Blazer on Saturday, Oct. 27, during the trick or treat festivities downtown. The lives of the young people who had congregated on South Lake were saved by your efforts. Hopefully justice will be swift and sure. We are proud of you and want to commend you for your quick actions. ...more

November 9, 2007

SEBRING –– Highlands County went "green" when it launched a recycling program back in 1990. In about a month, the county will be greener, as it begins accepting office paper for recycling. Residents and businesses have frequently been asking Highlands County Recycling if it can add office paper to the items it accepts, said Christy Reed, recycling program manager. For the first time in four years, Reed now can answer that it soon will, by late November or early December. "We plan very soon to add office paper recycling and junk mail recycling to our newspaper recycling program," Reed said Monday. Those items will be accepted as soon as the 22 drop-off recycling bins can be re-labeled, she said. ...more

October 30, 2007