SEBRING - When Highlands County had an opening for a clerical assistant at Emergency Medical Services recently, at $9.29 per hour, on the low end of the pay range, 63 people applied. Seventy-five people applied for one opening in the county road and bridge department for a laborer's job. The pay scale for this job starts at $8.88 per hour and runs up to a maximum of $14.38 per hour. "We have had, it seems, a big increase in the number of job applicants since I've been here," said Don Kesterson, a county human resources specialist who took his job 18 months ago following a 20-year career in the Air Force. ...more

July 9, 2008

On a sweltering Saturday at Raymond James Stadium, it was cool to be a Buccaneer fan. Tampa Bay supporters turned out in record numbers during FanFest. ...more

June 15, 2008

The tension was evident as Highlands County's students squared off Saturday for school bragging rights. And it had nothing to do with athletics. It was all about brains and our top middle school students did a wonderful job answering questions that many adults wouldn't know. Academic teams from all Highlands County middle schools competed at the Sebring Middle School auditorium in an annual event measuring students' all-around knowledge. Each grade level battled to beat the buzzer and then the day was capped off with a "varsity" contest with each school's top students vying for a title. Sebring's Hill-Gustat won the varsity contest and the sixth-grade contest. Sebring Middle School won top honors in seventh and eighth grade contests. But the points separating all the schools was small, and every school had a strong showing with top students representing from throughout the county. ...more

June 2, 2008

Think about this: Shortly after Bush took office, he launched an endless war. Then, there were record numbers of fires. Not only in number but in size and devastation. ...more

May 4, 2008

While the mud thickens as the Democrats and Republicans go at each other to try to win the presidency, the Bush administration is moving in its last 11 months toward addressing one of the greatest of all domestic problems: the cold but savage slaughter and the enormous expense imposed upon this society by the street gangs that terrorize urban communities from coast to coast. ...more

February 5, 2008

In his State of the Union address, President Bush called Afghanistan a young democracy where children go to school and Afghans are hopeful. But he didn't mention the violence that has killed 147 students and teachers, and closed 590 schools in the past year - almost as many as the 680 the United States has built. ...more

January 30, 2008

Thousands of people in Highlands County, apparently in record numbers, took advantage of early voting and cast their ballots. That's good because it reduces the number of people who show up on election day, which reduces congestion at the precincts. The Presidential Preference Primary Election is Tuesday. Democrats and Republicans are choosing their party's nominee. All citizens can vote for or against a constitutional amendment for a property tax cut. The polls will be open from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. ...more

January 27, 2008

The flier on the door of the new pet store on Wheeler Street seemed innocuous enough: Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. ...more

January 26, 2008

PLANT CITY - The flier on the door of the new pet store on Wheeler Street seemed innocuous enough: Anyone younger than 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Few people in the community realized the true nature of the prohibition, or that it was required by law. ...more

January 25, 2008

Calling it the "worst housing downturn in our lifetime," an official with the Florida Home Builders Association said Florida's housing industry may finally bottom out at some point this year, but that's assuming the state avoids recession and the government eases the subprime loan mess. ...more

January 11, 2008