A Sebring man was killed to day when he was hit by a semi tractor-trailer rig during the early morning hours. Florida Highway Patrol officials say the 42-year-old man was bicycling on Highway 27 and crossed into the path of the southbound rig near the Skipper Road intersection.
The bicyclist was pronounced dead at the scene. The incident remains under investigation.
Today is Veterans Day, the day Americans honor the men and women who have worn the country’s uniform. Locally there was to have been a Veteran’s Day Parade. However, organizers cancelled the annual procession due to the onset of Tropical Storm Nicole.
American Legion Post 69 in Avon Park will host a Veterans Day ceremony this afternoon. There will be a luncheon before the observance.
Highlands County officials have released a preliminary assessment of the impacts from Tropical Storm Nicole and they say it’s all good news.
County officials maintain that during the weather event, Highlands County had sustained winds of 20-30 mph with maximum wind gusts of 35-40 mph. The county received about 2-3 inches of rain, but there were no reports of severe flooding, damage or blocked roadways.
All weather warnings for the county now have expired, the citizens hotline has been shut down and the county’s emergency management system has gone back to a monitoring Level 3.
The landfill reopens today with yesterday’s trash collections to be done today.
All public schools and the district office are open again for normal operations as is South Florida State College.
Now that the storm is gone, FEMA is back in business. Their Highlands County Disaster Recovery Center will reopen tomorrow at the Ag-Center.
However, County government offices are closed today – that, in observance of the Veterans Day holiday.