Ta'Niyah Jannette Rachelle Aauyah Simpson was born June 13 at 3:45 p.m. to Ashley Muller at Florida Hospital. She weighed 6 pounds, 15 ounces and was 19 inches long. Maternal grandparents are Cheryl Johnson and Preston Hicks, and Frankie and Cindy Muller. ...more

July 9, 2008

AVON PARK — Robert Ray took the Rural Entrepreneurship through Action Learning (REAL) class, and he recommends it to others who are interested in starting a business or currently own one. "I definitely say take the course before going into business," said Ray, the owner of Heartland Marble & Granite in Sebring. "It will save you a lot of trouble." The next REAL class will begin on June 30. It will meet Mondays from 6 – 9 p.m. in Building T at South Florida Community College in Avon Park. The cost is $100. However, those who complete the course may be eligible for a $90 refund. Ray, who sells and installs granite countertops and marble flooring, opened his business in 2006. He attended the first REAL class in January 2007 with his wife. ...more

June 21, 2008

Attention all homeowners of Sun 'N Lakes south, there is an opportunity for the community to get the sidewalk extended to the south along Sun 'N Lakes Boulevard, which will give those who live south of Sweetheart Avenue, safer walking. The existing sidewalk gets a lot of use by those who get their daily exercise by walking along that half mile that goes to Highway 29. ...more

June 19, 2008

SEBRING — A family of four were left without a place to live Friday morning, after a kitchen fire broke out in their Spring Lake home. The family of Adolfo Nunez-Rey, at 6101 Wilson Terrace, his wife, another adult and a 3-year-old child, was helped by the American Red Cross of Highlands County. "Volunteers provided the family - three adults and one child - with temporary shelter, personal hygiene kits, emergency assistance for food and clothing, odor-control concentrate cleaner to help with salvaging items from the home, a Red Cross clean-up kit, landlord verification forms to assist in relocation, and Publix gift cards donated by Florida's Blood Centers," wrote Phil Attinger, Public Relations Director for the Polk County American Red Cross chapter. ...more

June 18, 2008

SEBRING — What started as a choking turned into a major scare for customers at The Sunset Grille Saturday evening as too many good Samaritans rushed the balcony and caused it to partially collapse. Nobody was injured by the collapse of the deck, said Tom Dunn, the deputy chief of the Sebring Fire Department. The choking victim was driven to Highlands Regional Medical Center, but her name and condition were not available Sunday afternoon. The choking and deck collapse were reported at 7:46 p.m. Saturday. ...more

June 15, 2008

SEBRING — Another piece in the puzzle that is the Sebring Parkway was put into place late last week, as construction continues southward along Highlands Avenue on the $28 million roadway. A 1,900-foot-long stretch from North Ridgewood Drive to East Center Avenue reopened after road barriers went up in late December. Ramon Gavarrete, Highlands County engineer, is overseeing the project, with the department acting as the project's general contractor. ...more

June 3, 2008

Congratulations to Claudia Oliveros of Lake Placid. She has just graduated with honors from Keiser University in Lakeland. All of us who know and love her are so happy for her, and her hard work and dedication in achieving her goal. Profound thanks to Highlands Regional Medical Center for giving her a wonderful opportunity to go on with her career. Claudia, you have made us so proud. Gerrie Matchus Lake Placid ...more

May 30, 2008

SEBRING — Barbara Walker, 71, of Sebring, puts in four hours a week volunteering at the Highlands Regional Medical Center's gift shop because that's all she can find time for in her busy schedule. Retirement after 45 years with the school board as a cafeteria manager at E.O. Douglas School and then Sebring High School hasn't slowed her down. Walker volunteers or is associated with at least six groups, that do everything from helping the elderly to organizing the annual Juneteenth Festival. ...more

May 18, 2008

AVON PARK — Just in case they haven't been paying attention to the news, Judy Puffen gave high school students a personal account of what Iraq is like: frequent sandstorms, constant danger, grinding poverty, unvarying boredom. "Please let me come home before I die," former Sgt. 1st Class Puffen said she would think. She was one of the first American soldiers to go there after Operation Iraqi Freedom commenced in 2003. "It was all sand over there," she said. "The first thing I wanted to do when I got home was kiss the grass. It was like biblical times. The houses were made of adobe — mud." "What kind of weapon did you carry," asked one student in Amy Love's American History class. "An M-16," Puffen said, a 22-year veteran. Even though her job was administrative and financial, she carried a rifle. ...more

February 23, 2008

SEBRING — A Sebring resident has filed a lawsuit against a doctor who she said drugged her and performed an emergency appendectomy without her permission. Mollie A. George and her husband, Lawrence, filed paperwork at the Highlands County Courthouse last Thursday, seeking damages exceeding $15,000, against Dr. Kevin Meyer. The suit alleges that on or about Sept. 12, 2006, Mollie was experiencing abdominal pains and went to the emergency room at Highlands Regional Medical Center (HRMC), when Meyer allegedly advised her that she had appendicitis and required surgery. The suit goes on to say that at the time, Mollie was competent enough to make a decision regarding her medical care and was legally within her rights to decline treatment. ...more

January 29, 2008