Businesses and governments looking to trim expenses during this economic downturn have cut jobs because salaries and benefits typically represent the largest cost of doing business. ...more

February 23, 2009

The Highlands County School Board is thinking about the possibility of terminating high school sports and extra curricular activities in local high schools. As a 15-year-old at Lake Placid High, I am very active in my schools athletic and extra curricular activities. I am in the marching season Color Guard, band during concert season, student government association and on the girl's basketball and softball teams. I know that the purpose of doing away with sports is only because of budget cuts, but having sports and extra curricular activities in our high schools is a good thing. Most of the kids in Lake Placid don't only play sports because we love it, but because of the support and help we get from our teammates and coaches. You see, we get more out of sports in schools than we do in any other activity in Highlands County. ...more

January 30, 2009

In the waning days of the legislative session, lawmakers passed a pilot project allowing private-school students to play sports on public-school teams. ...more

May 12, 2008

SEBRING — Random drug testing started this year in the county's middle schools with only one student testing positive during the first semester. A reported 260 students were tested at the School Board of Highlands County's four middle schools with negative results (no drugs in their system) for 259 students and one student testing positive. "So that's pretty good," said Student Services Coordinator Patty Jackson. The students who are tested are picked randomly just as in the high school. Drug testing started at the high school level near the beginning of the 2006-07 school year with school officials confident that it would give students a reason to say "no" when offered drugs. At the high school level thus far this school year, of the 124 students who were tested, two had "positive" results indicating ...more

December 28, 2007