As workers for the city collected and boxed the tattered effects of the homeless outside City Hall, a disheveled man walked up and began speaking out to anyone who would listen. ...more

February 7, 2008

Nearly three days after putting the homeless on notice, the city this morning began following through on its warning that personal belongings not removed voluntarily from sidewalks and other rights of way would be seized. ...more

February 6, 2008

It is amazing to think that one individual could cause so much trouble for individuals trying to provide a much needed service to the community. How could a facility exist for over 15 years without complaints and then have the noise become intolerable after one individual moves into the area? The complainant was told, at the time he visited the rental property, that a kennel was located nearby. Common sense would have told anyone that there would be barking. If the barking is as bad as the complainant now claims, wouldn't he have heard it while visiting the property? Did the dogs begin to bark just because he moved in? Of course not. ...more

February 6, 2008

"A slam dunk" is how community advocate Liz Gutierrez described the Hillsborough Planning Commission's overwhelming approval of the Greater Palm River Community Plan on Jan. 14. ...more

January 21, 2008

It's easy to see why there are so many truck drivers in Highlands County. There is no real industry in the area and an abundance of low-paying service jobs. I wish I had the money to start a truck stop in the area. ...more

January 17, 2008

Rudy Giuliani marched his way into America's heart when he walked that dusty boulevard to the twin towers after the attacks of 9/11. He became a national hero that day, a leader in a time of crisis. ...more

January 11, 2008

Loss Of Tranquility For the past few years our holidays have been ruined by pounding, loud music in the neighborhood. I've telephoned the police but was told by a deputy their hands are tied because they have no decibel meters. Apparently, Pasco County gave the decibel meters to Code Enforcement, which, by the way, closes at 5 every evening and is closed on the weekend. ...more

December 31, 2007

In recent months, state standards for pool safety have become a muddy mess. ...more

December 23, 2007

Daystar, the agency that helps the poor and homeless on property at the United Methodist Church on Lazella Street, has been found in violation of the county's zoning code. ...more

December 1, 2007

Last week, Highlands County lost a piece of its past. It was the inexorable march of time that touches each one of us living, breathing souls. But when Lonnie Curl, Robert Allen Baker and Ray T. Graddy departed from life, they took with them a part of Highlands County that was young, and in some minds –– still pristine. Curl was a former Sebring police chief. So was Baker. Graddy was a postmaster. They were all longtime county residents and had been active in public service. They helped shape the county's destiny in visible and invisible ways. They were the area's living history. Their lives also interspersed. All three graduated from Sebring High School. Graddy and Curl both received the Most Valuable Man award for their contributions to the Sebring Fire Department. ...more

November 20, 2007