NewsTalk 730

Today is July 1st and this year it begins the Independence Day holiday weekend. Fireworks start this evening at the Sun ‘N Lake Improvement District. Food trucks will open the site starting at 7pm, with the pyrotechnicks to begin at 9pm. This afternoon at 1:00, The Lake Placid Jaycees will hold a fund-raising barbecue at…

As Florida’s use of the Florida Standards Assessments test ends, final results before the statewide switch to progress monitoring now show pass rates among students in most age groups only at about 50-percent. Even so, Highlands County schools are lagging behind even the puny statewide numbers. Worst case are those taking the 6th-thru-8th grade Language…

It’s been a year since Avon Park city council members heard a proposal from Adam Greenstein to install kayak dispensers on the shores of Lake Verona. The idea was, that people could use their smartphones to order and use the watercraft at Donaldson Park. Still, there’s been no local action on the project. Avon Park…

A new survey shows that the Avon Park-Sebring metro area has registered one of the largest increases in mortgage loans since the coronavirus situation. The report from Support Network indicates locally, we have seen a 15.3-percent increase in mortgage applications. That’s higher than the national average of just nine percent. However, the loan approval rate…

An early morning traffic stop in Highlands County has reseultd in death for a Labelle man. After recieving a call about a wrong way driver on Highway 27, Highlands County Sheriff’s deputies stopped a van near the Sun ‘N Lake South community. During the stop, the driver of the vehicle. identified as 68-year-old Robert McNamara,…

It appears that when it comes to doing it yourself, the Avon Park – Sebring metro area is one of the best. A survey by Porch shows that since the Coronavirus situation, increasing numbers of people spend more time at home improving their living space. The analysis shows that there are more than five hardware,…

Highlands County commissioners this morning voted to take further action on the fire assessment. Under its provisions, there will be a seven percent increase for each of the five categories. The bottom line is a $700,000 increase in the budget for the upcoming fiscal year. they also voted to expand a couple of their complexes.…

Two people were killed last night in a traffic crash in the south end of the county. Florida Higway patrol officials say a car driven by a Lakeland man had slowed to make a U-Turn on State Road 70 near County Road 721, and was hit from behind by a car driven by a Fort…

Today is the last day of qualifying for candidates who want to be on the ballot for the upcoming 2022 election cycle. It looks like there will be balloting in almost all the major races. Incumbent Highlands County Commissioner Kathy Rapp now has filed her paperwork to run against former commissioner Don Elwell in District…

Looks like another hot one again today with highs into the mid and upper 90’s … after a 95 degree day yesterday, more of the same is on the way today. Stay hydrated, limit exposure to the heat and be careful. Prepare yourself to begin hearing about the Sebring Parkway, Phase FOUR. The Highlands County…