NewsTalk 730

It appears Highlands local State Representative Kaylee Tuck again is at the edge of major Florida legislation. House Bill One, would establish Education Savings Accounts in the Sunshine State. Tuck, who serves as Chair of the Choice and Innovation Subcommittee introduced the bill. Florida House leaders are calling it “Landmark” school choice legislation. The bill…

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…

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…

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…

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.…

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…

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…

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…

Officials from Bernie Little Distributing report that, without fanfare, the first trucks rolled out this morning from their new facility off the Sebring Parkway. The first load of Budweiser headed out shortly after 3:00am. It was in February of last year, officials broke ground on the 63,000 square foot air-conditioned warehouse. Bernie Little has been…

The 8th Annual Veterans Expo begins today at American Legion Post 69 in Avon Park. The Vietnam and Global War on Terror Travelling Walls will arrive at the Bell Street location and 14 of the planned 52 vendors also will be set up today to help veterans. The event is designed to highlight resources such…