With a few days to go before the last stretch of the bloated Mississippi River reaches its crest, people toiled around the clock Monday to reinforce levees already strained and saturated from the pressure of the rising water. ...more

June 24, 2008

Six containers of radiological medical waste were discovered among the recyclables at the county landfill. ...more

June 23, 2008

The faithful gathered for church services Sunday in towns hard-hit by flooding along the Mississippi River, and many found comfort in word that the swollen waterway had apparently started to hit its high point. ...more

June 23, 2008

When a hurricane steamrolls through a community, one-fourth of its businesses will be ruined to the point of no return. ...more

June 23, 2008

LAKE PLACID — Two Highlands County employees were treated in what appeared to be an Africanized bee attack Monday afternoon, multiple county officials said. Parks and recreation maintenance workers Jason Gonzalez and Tim Neese ran nearly half a mile from a tree at 1501 Lake Clay Drive, Lake Placid, crossing a bridge and a canal to escape the swarm, Highlands County Emergency Management Director Bill Nichols said. After they escaped the bees, Gonzalez and Neese tried to return for their lawn mowers, but the bees went after them again, stinging Gonzalez three or four times. Neese couldn't count how many of them hit him. ...more

June 16, 2008

In addition to the hail up to the size of golf balls that fell in Hardee and DeSoto counties, Wednesday's thunderstorms cost some Wauchula residents their electricity and water. Hardee County Emergency Management said firefighters and an ambulance were called to a mobile home park on Sims Road about 6:15 p.m. after receiving a report people were trapped in a mobile home by a fallen tree. Rescuers found no tree, but a 10-inch limb had dropped on two mobile homes. No one was trapped, and the branch didn't punch through the mobile homes' roofs. ...more

June 12, 2008

"Hurricane Complacency" are two words that just never will go together, Pasco County emergency officials say. ...more

June 4, 2008

Two seasons have passed since a hurricane hit Florida, and we're about to try for three. ...more

June 1, 2008

If you live in an apartment or condominium, chances are you will be on your own to protect your property. ...more

June 1, 2008

A special section on hurricane preparedness is included in today's newspaper, as June 1 marks the official start of the Atlantic season. We hope the section is read and will not be tossed in the recycle bins — at least not right away. It contains a lot of useful information that will come in handy in preparing for a storm. Another way to prepare is to be informed, and the Highlands County Emergency Management staff is doing its part by sponsoring the annual Highlands County Hurricane Seminar this Tuesday. It will start at 6:30 p.m. at the Agri-Civic Center, located at the corner of George Boulevard and U.S. 27, in Sebring. As Bill Nichols, director of the Highlands County Emergency Operations Center, said, "I don't think you need to be afraid. The more you prepare, the less you're afraid. The more you know, the less you fear." ...more

May 31, 2008