Local News 4-14-25

There was a little more activity than early church-goers on Thunderbird Road in Sebring are used to yesterday morning. The Highlands County Sheriff’s Office needed to serve a warrant on a domestic incident suspect at 2900 Thunderbird Road. The suspect surrendered without incident, but to maintain control, the Department used its SWAT team. While securing the property, the SWAT Team dd use two shotgun breaching charges to get into a back yard shed, but no shots were fired during the apprehension itself. The incident was over and the road reopened to traffic by a little after 8am.

You hear a lot about local High School teams going to state in athletic competitions, but some Blue Streak students got state honors after competing at the state level in maybe saving lives. Five Sebring High Medical Academy students placed fourth in different categories in the state Health Occupation Students of America competition showing their skills in patient care, bedside care, phlebotomy and nursing assessments. The Medical Academy coursework is new to Sebring High, and twelve student were certified this year as Medical Administrative Assistants this year.

The Highlands County School Board will have an easy job deciding finalists for the re-created position of principal at Lake Placid Middle School and Sebring High’s Principal for next year. Of the three candidates applying for the Middle School position, Assistant Principal Jon Million was the only one with the required certifications for the job. Ditto for the Sebring High position being vacated by Kim Ervin at the end of the year. Laura Sherley, one of three Assistant Principals at Sebring High, was the only applicant as of the April 10th deadline with the needed certifications.

Avon Park is closer to a museum exhibit celebrating the city’s on history with major league baseball. The Avon Park Rotary Club donated $10,000 last week toward development of the planned exhibit inside the Depot Museum in town. Aside from locally-produced major league starts like Thiomas-Flash Gordon and Hal McRae, Avon Park was an early site for Spring Major league ball and a ton of youth baseball champions.

In case you’re planning an Easter Week excursion on Lake Jackson next week, the City wants you to know that Sebring’s Veterans Memorial Park Boat Ramp is going to shut down for repairs for a week starting the NEXT Monday. They plan on having it open again right after the next weekend’s annual Pro Watercross event – meaning Monday, the 28th.