The Latest Local News

News Update 10/28/20

The numbers of votes locally continues to soar as residents continue to mail in ballots and show up at early polling places in Avon Park, Sebring and Lake Placid. In fact, at last count, nearly half the electorate already have cast their ballots here – more than 48.5-percent. Highlands County Supervisor of Elections Penny Ogg Continue reading

News Update for 10/27/20

The numbers continue to climb quickly as voters cast their ballots in this year’s general election. Locally, Highlands County Supervisor of Elections Penny Ogg said at last count 17,185 ballots had arrived by mail and another 12,703 residents had turned out at the three early polling places. That’s a total of 29,913 ballots cast, or Continue reading

News Update for 10/26/20

With each passing day the numbers keep going up – early voting nmumbers that is. Highlands County Supervisor of Elections Penny Ogg reports more than 26,000 Highlands County residents have cast their ballots so far in this year’s general election – that’s just over 40-percent with six full days to go. 16,586 ballots have come Continue reading

New Headlines 10-23-20

After one day of early voting, turnout for the November 3 General Election in Highlands County looks already like the final tally in some elections. As of last night’s closing, almost 28 percent of eligible voters in Highlands County had cast ballots. First-day early voters in person totalled 3,374 … 15,083 mail-in ballots had been Continue reading

News Update for 10/20/20

Highlands County commissioners met this morning in regular session. It’s the last couple before four incumbents step down and four newcomers are sworn in. They got an update on Coronavirus. Commissioner Jim Brooks noted that overall deaths in the county don’t seem to have spiked since numbers started being kept. They also got an update Continue reading

News Update for 10/19/20

Avon Park Vice Mayor Jim Barnard escaped serious injury when he was involved in a two vehicle crash over the weekend. The incident reportedly occurred Saturday at Highway 27 and Lakeview Drive. The force of the impact apparently caused the other vehicle involved to overturn. Barnard said he and his daughter were in the car. Continue reading

News Update for 10/16/20

Highlands County School Board officials have announced that their board meetings once again will be going up on the web. After cajoling from the public, the board previously piloted streaming the regular school board sessions but then ceased to broadcast them. Authorities now say, since the spring Town Hall meetings, they are prepared to bring Continue reading

News Update for 10/15/20

One man is dead and four Polk County Sheriff’s deputies are on administrative leave following an incident last night in Frostproof. Lawmen were called to the home on Freedom Drive shortly before 7:PM on reports of a domestic disturbance. There they encountered 28-year-old Yoel Arnaldo Mejia Santel. Crisis intervention officers reportedly talked with Santel, who Continue reading

News Update for 10/14/20

Sebring police reportedly are investigating a homicide. Officers responded to a call of shots being fired int he area of Highlands and Martin Luther King Blvd. about quarter to six last night. There they found one man who had been shot and killed, and another with multiple gunshot wounds. He subsequently was treated and released Continue reading