SEBRING — Trotting through chutes in a cow pen, Hill-Gustat Middle School agriculture students got a close look Wednesday at the workings of a cattle ranch from the perspective of the cattle. Ranch Manager Bob Mayworth corralled teacher Rebekah Wills' students in the pens and separated the boys and girls for a weigh-in on a large livestock scale. Sliding the counter weights, Mayworth determined the boys weighed a total of 4,250 pounds. The lower number of girls, including two adults, weighed 2,870 pounds. Ranching has become a whole different business, he said. ...more

December 21, 2007

SEBRING — A barn owned by Hartt S Y & Son was destroyed late Wednesday morning after a fire ravaged through it. ...more

December 6, 2007

SEBRING –– Whether it's flying his remote model airplane or cruising around the Heartland on his motorcycle, Frank Duplessie has a need for speed. The 90-year-old Duplessie, who seems to have boundless energy, celebrated his birthday recently with other members of the Highlands Radio Control Club off of Arbuckle Creek Road. Duplessie, who flew full scale single-engine airplanes in the past, has been flying remote controlled airplanes for 18 years. "I love flying planes," he said. "There is nothing like the feeling you get when you're flying. "It's total freedom from everything around you." The other members of the Highlands Radio Control Club, which was founded in the 1980s, gathered for their regular monthly meeting recently, and ended the affair by honoring Duplessie with a birthday cake. ...more

November 20, 2007

SEBRING –– The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has begun fencing off the 3,100-acre Carter Creek Scrub area. ...more

November 15, 2007

SEBRING — The Highlands County Sheriff's Office is looking for anyone with information about the armed robbery of the Taylor's BP gas station at the intersection of State Road 17 and Arbuckle Creek Road, in Sebring. ...more

November 12, 2007

SEBRING — While John Milone was on vacation in Denmark this summer, a family of four stayed in his Sebring home, sleeping in his bed and eating at his dining room table. The family went on an airboat ride through Arbuckle Creek, laid on the beaches of Miami and enjoyed Disney theme parks, while John and Lyudmila Milone explored Copenhagen and stayed at the family's home there. The Milones coordinated the swap through Home Exchange, a Web site that facilitates 100,000 successful home exchanges worldwide and features about 15,000 listings in more than 100 countries. The concept gained popularity after the 2006 romantic comedy staring Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet, who trade a Los Angeles' mansion and cottage in England to escape men in their lives. John Milone knew about the program long before the movie, though, and has been doing home exchanges for nine years. ...more

October 13, 2007