PLANT CITY - A part of the history of Plant City came tumbling down this morning. ...more

February 8, 2008

The city has signed off on plans for a new public works facility. ...more

February 7, 2008

Ken Wheeler, the director of solid waste, is into recycling, and Highlands County should be grateful about that. The county is likely to pick up more than $3 million in two grants – nearly one-third of the $10.5 million allocated – that Gov. Charlie Crist convinced the Legislature to award in local-government grants for innovative recycling projects. Highlands had lots of competition. A total of 140 cities and counties applied for the grants. After reviewing all 140 applications, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection picked the top 33 projects based on merit. ...more

February 3, 2008

Hours before Michael Lee King was captured Thursday, police entered his North Port home, prompted by a harrowing 911 call in which Denise Amber Lee could be heard crying and begging to be set free. ...more

January 22, 2008

AVON PARK — Jeremy Machia's labor of love is a few tons of manicured dirt. And he likes nothing more than watching folks make a mess of it. The track director at Highlands BMX got hooked on bicycle racing at a young age, and more than 25 years later, Machia enjoys playing in the dirt more than ever. "Normally, we're out two or three times a week, hand-shaping jumps," he said. "We're not using heavy equipment, so it's a lot of fine-tuning." Much of that meticulous work is done to ready the track for weekly races that draw riders from Highlands County and beyond. And while most tracks are closed around the Christmas holiday, Machia's welcoming racers from across the state this weekend to grab some last minute points in order to qualify for the upcoming Sunshine State BMX's Florida state championships. He never knows how many riders will show up until race day, but Machia said up to 100 racers of all skill levels cold descend on the Avon Park track, which is known around the state as the fastest in Florida. ...more

December 21, 2007

Heavy equipment finished the first week of tearing down the structure that will be replaced by a mammoth Ikea furniture store. ...more

December 14, 2007

Meacham Alternative School, a monument to inner city education, began tumbling into rubble Friday, joining the remains of the neighborhood that had sent many of its young people there. ...more

December 1, 2007

SEBRING — Sandi Laufer hopes to catch the pigs that have been tearing up her yard as soon as possible. "Every morning when I wake up, my yard looks worse," said Laufer. "It's like someone took heavy equipment and plowed through my lawn." Laufer, and several other residents who live along Granada Boulevard in Sun 'n Lake of Sebring, are experiencing lawn damage caused by a sudden influx of wild pigs roaming through their neighborhood. Residents began reporting problems to Sun 'n Lake officials on Monday, and things have become so bad that the district is now offering traps free of charge for three-day periods. "I think it's just (the pigs') migration pattern," said Sam Henderson, Sun 'n Lake's director of public safety. "I think they're just going wherever they can to try to get food and water." ...more

December 1, 2007

TAMPA - With the rubble of Central Park Village serving as a backdrop and the fog-shrouded skyline of downtown Tampa peering over the oak trees, an already gutted Meacham Alternative School started to fall this morning. ...more

November 30, 2007

Specialist Brice A. DuBoice, 19th Engineer Battalion with the U.S. Army stationed at Fort Knox, Ky., returned safely back with his unit after a 15-month deployment to Camp Speicher, Iraq. Originally scheduled for a 12-month tour, Brice's unit was affected by the three-month extension announced in April 2007. While in Iraq, the battalion was responsible for repairing roads and buildings and other critical infrastructure. The soldiers in his unit also helped train Iraqi engineers in how to operate heavy equipment. Brice is the son of Dwight C. DuBoice (Lake Wales) and Julia G. DuBoice (Sebring) and maternal grandson to the late Retired Master Sgt. Donald E. Gallimore and Lorraine C. Gallimore of Avon Park. His paternal grandparents are Herman J. DuBoice and Beverly DuBoice of Avon Park. Brother Dennis S. Roberts Jr of Bradenton and sister Hannah F. Davis of Sebring. ...more

November 20, 2007