News Update for 12/31/25

Highlands County Fire Rescue crews responded yesterday to a one-acre brush fire in the Venus area off Quail Run. Officials say the fire was caused by an escaped illegal burn and was quickly brought under control. No injuries or structural damage were reported. Fire crews were assisted by the Florida Forest Service. Residents are reminded that Highlands County remains under a burn ban until further notice.

The City of Sebring’s proposed road swap with the Florida Department of Transportation is moving forward, though at a measured pace. City leaders are working to remove the State Road 17 designation through downtown, while shifting that designation to the Sebring Parkway. Officials say the city is now waiting on FDOT, with no additional requirements beyond feedback on future safety features. The swap is expected to take about a year, with a state paving project planned afterward.

Two missing Hardee County sisters are safe this morning. A Missing Child Alert was issued for 15-year-old Alenna Fabila and her 13-year-old sister, Paisley, on Christmas Day. They were last seen in Wauchula. The sheriff’s office yesterday morning the sisters had been found and are safe. No other details were released.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd served up a side of sass along with a crime report this week. Deputies arrested 48-year-old Robert Snipes — with 31 previous misdemeanor convictions — after he allegedly grabbed a stranger’s backpack at McDonald’s, not for cash or tech, but for about $150 worth of “liquid gold” baby formula, diapers, and wipes. Sheriff Judd dubbed the suspect a “McMope” and joked that the county jail has no formula, diapers, or wipes — just “pretty crusty toilet paper”. Snipes is now behind bars on new theft charges.