NewsTalk 730

As of 5:00AM Thursday morning, Highlands County Emergency Personnel have not been cleared to go back out on the roads due to the risks associated with unsafe wind conditions. Residents that need help may still call 911- but response times will be delayed until they are able to safely respond to emergency calls. As Milton…

A Tornado Watch is now in effect for Highlands County until 9:00PM tonight. Rain bands ahead of Milton today could produce isolated tornados. Residents are urged to shelter in a safe place by 12:00PM noon, as we will start to see tropical storm force winds in our area anywhere from 2:00PM- 10:00PM. At 8:00AM a…

Hurricane Milton is heading toward Florida. In the latest update from the National Hurricane Center, Milton was classified as a Category 4 storm, with maximum winds of 155 miles per hour. That’s just shy of being a Category 5 which it was earlier Monday with winds clocked at 180 miles per hour. Counties along Florida’s…

In case you couldn’t tell by the absence of bottled water at the grocery store, there’s another tropical cyclone in the neighborhood. That low pressure system in the gulf that almost everyone wrote off as only a rain event turned into a depression, then a Tropical Storm Saturday, and a Hurricane yesterday. It’s expected to…

A proposed zoning rule has been taken off the table by the Highlands County Commission, at least for the time being. On Tuesday, Commissioners rejected the county created rule which requires homes on one-acre parcels to have direct access to public roads – to ensure access to homes by emergency personnel, police and other public…

Tuesday night, Highlands County Sheriff’s Office Deputies, were involved in a shooting. At approximately 9:48pm, deputies responded to 1000 West Hill Street in Avon Park due to reports that a man was creating a disturbance and threatening others with a knife. As deputies were trying to take 28- year old Alberto Rodriguez into custody, he…

The Highlands County School Board will soon be discussing the possibility of repurposing the Sebring Pre-K Center due to lower-than-expected enrollment. A workshop is slated for October 17th at 3:30pm to discuss options, following a previous discussion by the Board back in May. Superintendent Brenda Longshore will present information to the Board on the possibility…

A fee agreement with Shepard, Smith, Kohlmyer & Hand, P.A. has been approved unanimously by the Avon Park Community Redevelopment Agency. It allows the provision of legal opinions on CRA related issues on an “as needed basis.” The possibility of hiring legal counsel for opinion in CRA issues, was first introduced by City Attorney Gerald…

A Sebring man has been arrested following the death of his 9-year-old autistic daughter. 44-year-old Desi Maura has been charged with manslaughter following the apparent drowning death of the girl. Deputies were initially called to 6132 Oak Bend Avenue in Sebring at 11:00AM yesterday to search for Arianna Salmoe Maura, who had been missing for…

Highlands County is under a Tropical Storm warning and is also under a Flood Watch until Friday, Sept. 27 at 8 a.m. According to the latest update- the Emergency Operations Center is at a Level 2 activation. The Highlands County call center will be open today from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. You can call…