Barry Foster

It appears to have been a safe & sane Independence Day celebration locally. Professional pyrotechnic displays went off without a hitch last night in Avon Park, Sebring and Lake Placid. Officials from Highlands County say they have received no reports of any fireworks-related injuries or fires – despite many calls of residents celebrating into the Continue reading

Highlands County officials say so far it appears to have been a safe & sane Independence Day celebration. There have been no reports of any fireworks-related injuries or fires here. It appears last night’s professional display at Sun ‘N Lake went off without a hitch. There was an accident shortly after midnight this morning in Continue reading

It appears the dry season is now over and the threat of wildfires has abated, but with the wet season comes mosquitoes. Although there have been no reports of Eastern Equine Encephalitis – or any other mosquito-borne illnesses yet, nobody likes to be bitten. Officials are reminding people to dump any standing water to eliminate Continue reading

Highlands County Commissioners will take another look at a proposed fire assessment for the county at their meeting tomorrow morning. The assessment will come in addition to the regular tax bill and would be used to start a professional, countywide fire service. Commissioners have asked to see how much money might be raised for the Continue reading

Highlands County Sheriff’s officials say the county’s Emergency Medical Services has transported 33 children and three adults from the 4H Camp Cloverleaf to area hospitals due to illness. There reportedly are 115 kids at the camp currently from all over florida including Charlotte, Desoto, Sarasota, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties. So far, none of the Continue reading

Things apparently are hopping at the Sebring Regional Airport. Officials there say it’s beginning to look like a much larger facility, with the landing of the fourth Boeing 727 there. The plane has come in for service at the Amerijet location at the airport – which now is going by their FAA designation “KSEF”. The Continue reading

More than 200 people packed the Highlands County commission chambers last night for a 5-hour public hearing on a proposed fire assessment on residences, businesses, industry, churches and other institutions. There were dozens of speakers, who noted their payments could go up as much as 600 percent under the new policy. Public safety officials warned Continue reading

Highlands County commissioners will get together this evening for a special session. They will be holding a public hearing to discuss a planned fire assessment to be placed on homes, businesses, industries and even vacant lots. The hope is to raise as much as $6.5 million dollars a year, to crate a county-run blend between Continue reading

The signs have been up for a while but the elections season kicks up a notch today as qualifying gets underway for candidates. Three seats on the Highlands County School Board and two seats on the Highlands County Commission will be up for grabs. So far, there’s only one contested election in each. Challenger Isaac Continue reading

Two people reportedly were killed early this morning when their car was hit by a train in Frostproof. Polk County Sheriff’s officials say the incident happend shortly after 3:00 this morning at Highway 98 West near Western Avenue in The Friendly City. Neither details on the accident nor names of the victims have been released. Continue reading