The Latest Local News

For the second time this month, a government holiday observance has pushed the regular Highlands County Commission meeting to Thursday. So commissioners will meet this morning for their regular session. Among other things, the board will look at changing the zoning designation for about six acres of property in the Moss Hammock subdivision to allow Continue reading

A local resident has won big in the annual American Library Association awards. Vicki Brown, who is athe manager of the Highlands County Library System and the coordinator for the Heartland Library Coopertative, is one of 10 recipients of the ALA’s Love My Librarian competition. She’ll get $5,000 cash plus another $750 in travel expenses Continue reading

Highlands is one of a number of central Florida counties that remain under another freeze watch. National Weather Service forecast has predicted lows of 33 degrees, although most temperatures locally have been in the high 30’s there was a report of one as low as 31 in some areas. A complete weather forecast follows the Continue reading

Avon Park city council members have taken another step in changing the downtown traffic pattern in the City of Charm. They heard from representatives of the Florida Department of Transportation and Renaissance Planning about an effort that would close one of the two lanes on each side of Main Street, to allow for horizontal parking. Continue reading

State’s attorneys are batting .500 after two trials ended a bit – differently – this week. Jimmy Lamar Ford Jr. was convicted this week on second-degree homicide counts in connection with the 2020 murder of 29-year-old Alexander Antonio Nowell. The altercation was at The Joint in Avon Park, on South Delaney Avenue. Ford will be Continue reading

Memorial Elementary School was evacuated briefly yesterday after the report of something that smelled like gas in the kitchen area. As a precautionary method, the students were evacuated from the building. An assessment by experts from TECO Energy and Avon Park fire department officials determined it was hydraulic fluid from a faulty cylinder. School officials Continue reading

It appears the City of Charm has an invasion of the homeless. The issue came up at the Avon Park city council meeting with City Manager Mark Schrader revealing the issue. Code enforcement officer Randy Labelle said enforcing ordinances on the matter with property owners has been a long and cumbersome process – with people Continue reading

Well, it appears Christmas is over, gas prices have made a jump across Highlands County. The hike ranges from 10 to 20-cents depending on the staring point. The operative price for a gallon of unleaded petrol apparently has landed at $3.09 at most stations here. As people begin to strike their holiday decorations, officials from Continue reading

A new survey has found that when it comes to mortgage rates, the Sebring-Avon Park metro area falls significantly short of national averages. The analysis found that nearly 30-percent of the mortgages here had an interest rate lower than three percent. That was well below the national average of 42-percent. In fact, Highlands was outpaced Continue reading

Highlands County joined the rest of the Sunshine State this weekend in blast of freezing temperatures. Local officials took the opportunity to open up a cold weather shelter. The facility was opened in the Ag-Center Friday and Saturday night. There was one person each evening. There was no shelter opened last night. Like hurricane shelter Continue reading