The Manhattan district attorney's office has opened a criminal investigation into a fatal crane accident, focusing on whether a part of the crane had been seriously damaged last year and then inappropriately put back into service, an official involved in the investigation said Saturday. ...more

June 1, 2008

SEBRING — Gawkers keep asking Eddie Talley whether the 38-foot-long missile at his welder's shop could blow up. "It's a running joke," said Talley. "They ask if it's real, and we say it is. You should see the expression on their faces. It freaks them out." The missile at T-N-T Welding near Sebring HiIls, just a block off U.S. 27, is a reproduction and a fake. The Avon Park Air Force Range hired Talley to repair the two mock missiles. U.S. Air Force personnel at the range use the mock missiles for bombing practice. Talley said welding repairs were warranted, due to what appeared to be direct hits to the 2,000-pound missile, which is made of sheet metal. ...more

May 22, 2008

Re: Controlled burns and wild pigs. Mr. Quehl must be new to Florida since he doesn't know what a "controlled burn" is and how it will benefit him in the future. He certainly needs to contact the phone number the editor provided him to gain this knowledge, along with the reason why the helicopters dropped water at the end of the day. ...more

May 10, 2008

Muller Elementary fifth-graders probably will think twice about bicycling without a helmet or diving into a swimming pool this summer. ...more

April 12, 2008

Transportation officials are looking for ways to ease massive backups created this week when construction workers barricaded a part of northbound Interstate 275 used by more than 94,000 vehicles a day. ...more

February 21, 2008

AVON PARK — Memorial Elementary School, on schedule to open in August, will be populated with students coming from four existing elementary schools, according to the district's proposed attendance plan. "We've got a boundary that we think is a logical one and hopefully it will be cost efficient," Assistant Superintendent of Business/Operations Mike Averyt said Monday. "We've got two public hearings to adopt the changes in the boundaries so we will be able to get public input at that point." The affected schools, from which some neighborhoods will be reassigned to the new school, are Sun 'n Lake Elementary, Avon Elementary, Park Elementary and Woodlawn Elementary. With the largest elementary school enrollment in the district, Sun 'n Lake Elementary will have the greatest enrollment decrease, Averyt said. The goal is to reduce enrollment at the school from 900 to about 650 students. The details of the proposed redistricting and school attendance zone maps will be released soon and will be presented at the public hearings, he said. ...more

February 5, 2008

When you pull off the interstate anywhere in Florida, chances are you're looking straight down a corridor flanked by gas stations and a Waffle House. ...more

January 27, 2008

PINELLAS PARK - Rescue crews pulled a construction worker out of a 15-foot trench this morning after a bucket that had been removed from a back hoe fell on his feet, fire officials said. ...more

January 24, 2008

NEWARK, N.J. Things have been awfully quiet on the sales front involving the transfer of the franchise from Palace Sports and Entertainment to Absolute Hockey Enterprises. ...more

November 1, 2007

Is Highlands County's economy beginning to turn around? A growing number of people have that hunch, even though no firm numbers can prove it. To some of us it seems like things are looking a bit better. It's a gut feeling but there are a few signs that look promising. We hope that's the case, and a lot of whether it is or not is all about perception by residents. ...more

October 3, 2007