NewsTalk 730

Lake Istokpoga once again has earned high marks for fishing. Bassmaster Magazine has tapped Istokpoga as the second-best bass lake in Florida and number three for the southeast region. The lake has earned similar honors in the past, and this past spring, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission chose Istokpoga as one of ten…

NEWS 8/10/22 BF BACK2SCHOOL It was back to the classroom today for youngsters in the Highlands County School system. School officials say they are expecting the rolls to increase a couple hundred students over last year, but it will take a while before they can get an official count. Motorists are reminded to watch out…

You may or may not have seen them, but there are sporadic reports that the fall Love Bug season may be starting. Several people have indicated they have seen the world’s most annoying couple buzzing about. There’s no indication on how light or heavy this season’s infestation may be, however, the spring Love Bug wave…

Highlands County commissioners yesterday approved an agreement with the state of Florida for an environmental protection grant for nearly $200,000. The money is planned for the proposed Memorial Trailhead Park. The facility sits just off the Memorial Drive roundabout, with access off Panther Parkway. Amenities could include restrooms, a playground, and picnic areas, among other…

Highlands County commissioners this morning voted a nearly $1.8 million dollar agreement that will start expansion on the county landfill. Reportedly, the design and permitting phase will take around nine months, with another year to build the new cell. County officials say the current landfill already is 85-percent full and more trash is coming in…

Today is Labor Day. Banks and government offices are closed. There’s no mail delivery and no school. Motorists in the area are cautioned to look out for youngsters playing and riding their bicycles during normal school hours. Many don’t perceive Highlands County as being a college town, but a new report from Porch, shows that…

It’s happened again. Officials from the city of Sebring have announced that Harder Hall has been sold. Sebring City Administrator Scott Noethlic reported the Blackmon Family of St. Petersburg has acquired the big pink hotel on the shores of Little Lake Jackson. No purchase price was revealed. Family officials say they have deep ties with…

There may be some big changes coming to Highlands County. Last weekend there was a sale of nearly 1500 acres as many of the historic Crutchfield citrus groves went on the auction block. Officials say that much of the property apparently went to investment companies from China and Inda, with other acerage going to online…

Highlands County Courts have had a busy week, cleaning up cases that stick in a lot of minds. Monday, the guy who pled guilty to 35 counts of credit card fraud in a string of thefts in the spring of 2020 that bit at least eleven Highlands County residents got sent up the river for…

Sebring Police could use a hand in solving a suspicious weekend death. Cops were dispatched to a Walnut Street location just before 3:30 Sunday morning where a man was found lying on the side of the road … two subects took the man to a local hospital where he was later pronounced dead. No names…