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A wildfire off Oak Beach Boulevard south of Sebring kept firefighters busy all weekend long. Highlands County units were joined by Florida Forestry crews in containing the better than 35-acre blaze. They thought they had the so-called "OShanter Fire" under control Saturday, but it re-kindled yesterday. Officials believe it now once again has been contained Continue reading

You may think the rent’s too darned high – but a new report from the firm Stressa, finds that the Avon Park-Sebring metro area has a median rent estimate much lower than the national average. While home prices began to accelerate rapidly in the second half of 2020 and have barely slowed, rents were stable Continue reading

Highlands County Sheriff’s officials are warning residents hit by storm damage earlier this week to look out for scammers. Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis now has activated and deployed anti-fraud strike teams to protect residents here and in surrounding areas from fraud. Authorities say to watch out for those who offer to waive or Continue reading

Highlands County School Board members last night pulled the plug on a proposed April 11th workshop after Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brenda Longshore announced plans to not renew a contract with the iMAD – or the I Make A Difference program – which had been providing comprehensive sex education for the schools. In making the Continue reading

The Highlands County School Board will meet tonight in regular session. Word is, although it is not on the agenda, board members may be looking at cancelling the contract with the "I Make A Difference" sex education program. The iMAD program has been a hot point of controversy in recent weeks – and had spawned Continue reading

According to th3e most recent statistics, a report by Self Financial shows that the Sebring-Avon Park Metro Area experienced a nearly 25-percent increase in new business applications. The uptick comes on the heels of a downtrend where the Coronavirus outbreak and subsequent restrictions caused a lot of small businesses to close their doors permanently. Numbers Continue reading

Firefighters will be out again today trying to fully extinguish that blaze at the Highlands County landfill. Reports say the stinky, smoldering blaze was 95-percent contained when operations were suspended last night. The fire started Wednesday with units split between a blaze on the top of the pile and an accompanying grass fire. The good Continue reading

Firefighters are back out at the Highlands County landfill battling the flames. Actually, two fires have been reported there – one on the top of the heap and an accompanying grass fire. Operations were suspended last after a day of units from all over the county. They’re now attempting to get it totally extinguished. No Continue reading

Thinking about doing some outdoor burning today? Don’t. Highlands County is one of a dozen central Florida counties that have been declared under a Red Flag Warning. Breezy northwest winds and low humidity will make for ideal conditions for the start and spread of brush fires. Polk, Hardee and Desoto counties are included in the Continue reading

Tempers flared last night during a discussion about the lease of the Brickell Building and the overall development of Avon Park’s downtown area. Councilwoman Bernice Taylor exchanged heated remarks with both Mayor Garrett Anderson and Councilwoman Brittany McIntyre over proposed restrictions for the building. In the end, the council voted to lease the property to Continue reading