The Latest Local News

The Sebring Fire Department hosted Florida CFO and State Fire Marshal Blaise Ingoglia yesterday at Station 14, along with state legislators, fire chiefs, and firefighters from across Florida. During the visit, Sebring was awarded $1.5 million toward a new 2026 Pierce Tower Ladder and an additional $7,497 through the Cancer Decontamination Grant Program. That grant Continue reading

Tragedy struck in Sebring last night after a motorcycle accident near US Highway 27 South and Sparta Road. Sebring Police confirmed the crash was fatal, and the rider did not survive. The accident shut down all three southbound lanes of US 27 for several hours while investigators worked the scene. Drivers were urged to avoid Continue reading

Plans for a new firehouse in Lake Placid have been delayed due to title issues with the land purchase. County commissioners approved a contract back in April to buy seven acres along U.S. 27 North for nearly $800,000, with the site intended for a new firehouse and EMS station. County Attorney Sherry Sutphen says the Continue reading

Deputies say a stolen ATV led to shocking discoveries and a long list of felony charges in Avon Park. Sergio Miguel Rivas, a Frostproof man, allegedly stole the Kubota ATV and a trail camera, then tried to cover his tracks and tell witnesses not to talk. Authorities found him in an orange shirt matching witness Continue reading

A deadly lightning strike claimed the lives of two Miami men, ages 38 and 31, along with their hunting dogs in southeast Highlands County. Florida Fish and Wildlife officers found their bodies Wednesday on a levee near Canal C-41A after they were reported missing. Investigators believe the strike happened Monday night, though the Medical Examiner Continue reading

Local veterans and their families are getting extra support in Highlands County. The Veterans Service Office and Highlands County Library System are hosting a free tutorial to help with the My HealtheVet website. The session takes place Monday, October 13th, at 9 a.m. at the Sebring Public Library. VSO staff will guide veterans step-by-step through Continue reading

A 15-year-old Avon Park High School student has been arrested and charged with a second-degree felony for making a written threat to kill. Deputies say the student posted photos holding pistols and threatened another student by text. Sheriff Paul Blackman stressed such threats will always be taken seriously and urged parents to warn their children Continue reading

A Highlands County corrections officer is among nearly 250 arrested in a major Polk County human trafficking sting. Detectives say 56-year-old Robert Vincent Hill, III, of Lake Placid, a Florida Department of Corrections sergeant, tried to pay $200 to sexually abuse a 13-year-old. He was arrested Thursday in Highlands County and then booked into the Continue reading

Prosecutors say disturbing hotel surveillance video and text messages helped build a strong case in the killing of 21-year-old Elijah Daley. In a hearing last week, a detective detailed how Daley thought he was meeting friends at a Lake Placid Ramada Inn in May, but instead was ambushed — shot nine times after suspects plotted Continue reading

A Sebring Police corporal is on administrative leave after being linked to a vandalism incident at the Blue Lagoon Saloon. Security video shows Dakota Bond letting air out of a motorcycle tire and stealing a valve stem cap, while Corporal Zackery Thompson appeared to act as a lookout. Both face possible charges of culpable negligence Continue reading