News Update for 3/18/25
A reminder to Highlands County residents that today, the Bayview Street retail center entrance at the corner of U.S. 27 in Sebring, will be closed during daytime hours so that Excavation Point may perform underground construction in the plaza for a future Century Bayview Storage. Motorists will need to use the U.S. 27 entrance next to Chick-Fil-A. For more information, please contact Excavation Point Inc. at 863-471-1997 or email mail@excavationpoint.com.
A dream became reality Monday as Avon Park celebrated the groundbreaking of its long-awaited baseball museum! The event brought out MLB greats Hal McRae and Thomas “Flash” Gordon, both Avon Park natives, alongside city officials and proud supporters. Historical Society President Nancy Fisk is hopeful that the museum will help to keep 100 years of baseball history alive. Fundraising for the $500,000 project continues, with completion expected within the next year. Donations are welcome and can be made to The Historical Society of Avon Park.
Two men are behind bars after firing guns from a moving pickup truck carrying two minors across Polk County early Sunday morning. Deputies say Evan Thompson (21) and Devon Mailhot (22) fired shots at multiple locations, including a lake, a RaceTrac, and a Circle K. A Crime Analyst spotted their reckless behavior, leading to their arrest. Two firearms were recovered, including one reported stolen in 2023. The minors were released to their parents, while Thompson and Mailhot face firearm discharge charges. The investigation is ongoing.
A Central Florida couple is guilty of aggravated manslaughter in their daughter’s death. A jury yesterday found Leesburg’s Mark Brittain, Jr. and Margaret Lehman guilty. They were charged in the 2021 death of their 11-month-old daughter, Marcelyn. The medical examiner determined she was extremely malnourished. Each was sentenced to about 13 years in prison. State Attorney Bill Gladson says at least in prison, Brittain and Lehman will receive food, unlike their innocent child.
Two NASA astronauts who spent far longer aboard the International Space Station than they planned to are finally on their way home. Overnight, Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore officially wrapped up an unexpected nine-month stay aboard the ISS that was the result of issues with their Boeing Starliner spacecraft. They’re returning to Earth in a SpaceX capsule that docked at the station over the weekend. If all goes according to plan, splashdown off the Florida coast is expected just before six pm Eastern time.
A tense situation unfolded in Polk County Friday afternoon when deputies arrested 30-year-old Shawn Drennen near an Alturas daycare. Authorities received reports of a man in a trench coat carrying a machete. When confronted, Drennen fled on a bicycle, but a detective quickly caught up and detained him. He was found with a concealed knife, methamphetamine, and drug paraphernalia. Drennen now faces multiple charges, including possession of a concealed weapon and resisting arrest.
The Shark is putting his money on a Central Florida based app. Golf legend Greg Norman is taking an equity stake in an app called Caddy Time. It’s described as an Uber-style app that matches golfers with caddies on demand anywhere in the world. Only a fraction of North American golf courses offers caddy services. Norman — also known as the Great White Shark — will be a brand ambassador for the service. A group of Orlando entrepreneurs launched Caddy Time four years ago.
U-S Congressman Maxwell Frost is joining the Florida House Democratic Caucus to discuss proposed cuts to Medicaid. Frost says Florida is one of ten states refusing to implement Medicaid Expansion to draw down federal money to pay for low-income residents who can’t afford health care. Most of Florida’s elderly don’t have the means to pay for their care, with the average annual cost of a nursing-home bed ranging from 105 thousand to almost 117 thousand a year.