There’s one more chapter to tell in that incident earlier this week where two adults burned a child’s belongings, threatened him as well, and ended in an officer-involved shooting. This chapter’s a good one. The nine-year old boy at the center of the incident is heading home to his family, with a load of Christmas toys from the Highlands and Polk County Sherriff’s Departments, along with other donors. There were toys – and clothes, including a new pair of Crocs to replace the ones burned in the fire. Oh – and a new plush toy to replace the one detectives gave him during the interview after the incident. He gave the first one away to another child while being sheltered by DCF.
That blue-green algae alert around the boat ramp at Lake Glenada has been expanded to include Lake Placid Lake in Lake Placid. The Florida Department of Health has issued a health alert for the two areas in response to water samples taken earlier this month. Do not drink, swim, wade, use personal watercraft, water ski lets pets near the water or boat in waters where there is a visible bloom. You CAN eat the fish – fillets from otherwise healthy fish caught in freshwater lakes experiencing blooms is safe, but clean and cook ‘em well.
The County Commission dodged a potentially testy exchange with neighbors this week when reports had circulated that a plot of land at 2000 Brunns Road north of Hammock Road was to be developed into more high-density housing. Not so, says owner Dan Littlefield. He told the Commission this week that his only plan is to put a barn on the land and would really like it re-zoned back to agricultural, leaving it in a natural state. County Zoning personnel said it’s a bit too late to move it back to agricultural zoning but Board members sent kudos Littlefield’s way.
South Florida State College’s Lake Placid campus has a new interim Director. Asena Mott has been incharge of the college’s Desoto Campus and takes over for retiring Director Randall Paeplow. Mott will retain her duties for the DeSoto campus during her tenure as Interim Director in Lake Placid.