A special section on hurricane preparedness is included in today's newspaper, as June 1 marks the official start of the Atlantic season. We hope the section is read and will not be tossed in the recycle bins — at least not right away. It contains a lot of useful information that will come in handy in preparing for a storm. Another way to prepare is to be informed, and the Highlands County Emergency Management staff is doing its part by sponsoring the annual Highlands County Hurricane Seminar this Tuesday. It will start at 6:30 p.m. at the Agri-Civic Center, located at the corner of George Boulevard and U.S. 27, in Sebring. As Bill Nichols, director of the Highlands County Emergency Operations Center, said, "I don't think you need to be afraid. The more you prepare, the less you're afraid. The more you know, the less you fear." ...more

May 31, 2008

SEBRING – The search for an executive director for Florida's Heartland Rural Economic Development Initiative will contine Monday, June 2 when the selection committee meets in Sebring. Six candidates for the position are scheduled to be interviewed, according to Roger Hood, who is a member of the committee. The FHREDI board of directors' regular meeting will be held Monday, June 16 at the Agri-Civic Center in Sebring. A recommendation will likely be made from the committee to the board at that time. Following the retirement of Lynn Topel earlier this year, the board advertised the position. The committee chose three candidates to be interviewed and offered the position to the top two, but both declined. Salary might have been an issue with those two individuals, according to Hood, who is also a member of the board. ...more

May 31, 2008

LAKE PLACID — Highlands County farmers and gasoline consumers got estimates for the first time Thursday on the bottom-line economics for them if the proposed biofuels plant at U.S. 27 and State Road 70 is built. There was good news for farmers: Preliminary estimates are that they'll make well over $300, and probably between $400 to $500, per crop on every acre they commit to sweet sorghum production for the ethanol plant. ...more

May 17, 2008

Some of today's events. ...more

February 25, 2008

When the Florida Strawberry Festival opens its doors Thursday for its 73rd year, the highlights will include numerous competitions for young, old and in-between. ...more

February 23, 2008

SEBRING — Public access to the county's most popular lake will be restored next month as Highlands County officials tear down the concrete-and-chain-link-fence barriers that have kept the public out of Lake Denton since mid-September. Vicki Pontius, county parks and recreation director, said the only stumbling block to reopening access to this exceptionally clean and clear lake is hiring a part-time worker to collect weekend user's fees. ...more

February 14, 2008

SEBRING – The Highlands County Agri-Civic Center was opened as an emergency shelter at about 6:30 p.m. Monday to shelter people who had to evacuate the Henscratch Road area due to a wildfire. Gloria Rybinsky, county public information officer, said she did not have a count of how many families came to the shelter. "We do not know how many people will use this shelter," Rybinski said. "It was not a mandatory evacuation. It was a voluntary evacuation and we opened the Agri-Civic Center for people who might need this option." ...more

February 11, 2008

SEBRING — Green isn't the only color cultivated and prized by Highlands County groundskeepers. Eileen Beck, groundskeeper supervisor, oversees a crew of three county employees who trim, plant, irrigate, mow and maintain the 40 county-owned building sites, from nearly end-to-end. "We like to have color," Beck said, "and something is always in bloom." All three municipal libraries, the health department, the courthouse and the Agri-Civic Center are just a few of the rotating stops the crew hits at least once a week, or sometimes twice weekly during the rainy summer months. The landscaping around the sign at the Highlands County Government Center recently got a sprucing up from the crew. Marigolds, croton plants, Indian hawthorns and crepe myrtles, separated by mulch, surround the county marker. ...more

February 10, 2008

Like many in the audience before him Tuesday, Dade City Mayor Hutch Brock envisions a connected system of trails throughout the city and the rest of Pasco County. ...more

February 7, 2008

Recent newspaper articles have referenced plans to expand the Highlands County Jail in downtown Sebring and build a new sheriff headquarters facility on George Boulevard behind the Agri-Civic Center south of Sebring. These are extraordinarily important and costly budget items. While these issues have been discussed in the newspaper, jail expansion is not in the 10-year capital improvement budget plan, according to county Engineer Ramon Gavarrete. ...more

January 31, 2008