AVON PARK — Groundbreaking for Avon Park Executive Airport's new terminal building should begin within 30 days. Airport Manager C.B. Shirey said that he was hoping it would be completed by Sept. 30, the end of the city's fiscal year. The building will be the ...more

May 8, 2008

AVON PARK — Ashton Shirey has started the softball season on fire. The Avon Park senior hurler tossed a complete-game three hitter and also banged out two hits with one RBI to lead the Red Devils to a 7-0 victory over Palmetto in a Class 4A-District 10 game on Friday night. Shirey, who has an assortment of pitches, utilized her change-up and curveball to strikeout six, and the hard-throwing right-hander allowed only one walk. ...more

February 17, 2008

SEBRING — Leadership is changing hands as the men who have run Highlands County, Sebring and Avon Park for more than 10 years step down. C.B. Shirey, who served as Avon Park city manager for 11 years, moved to the role of manager of Avon Park Executive Airport in January. Carl Cool, county administrator, will retire May 31 after 17 years. Bob Hoffman, city administrator of Sebring, will retire June 30 after almost 18 years in the position. They swear they didn't plan it like that. "It's just happenstance," Cool said. "We might have joked about it, but it just turned out that way." ...more

February 10, 2008

Pasco Rolls Past Sebring AVON PARK — The Streaks played well on Friday against a tough Pasco squad, but in the end the Bulldogs put up the big inning needed to beat the Sebring baseball team 6-0 during the AP First Pitch Classic at Head Field. "We just couldn't generate any offense tonight," said SHS head coach Hoppy Rewis. "We gave a lot better effort and had a much better presence on the field." ...more

February 9, 2008

Lake Placid Surges To Win ARCADIA — Zack Heckman came off the bench down one with the bases loaded and hit a pinch-hit double down the right field line in the bottom of the seventh to lift the Lake Placid baseball team to an 8-7 victory over Evangelical Christian during the DeSoto preseason tourney on Thursday. ...more

February 8, 2008

AVON PARK — Missy Lander thinks the 2008 Avon Park softball team has a chance to make history. If Tuesday's throttling of Booker was any indication, she might be on to something. ...more

February 7, 2008

AVON PARK –– "We want to win bad. I mean really bad," sounded Avon Park senior Ashton Shirey, who is still feeling the sting of how the '06 girls softball season ended — on a controversial play at the plate at the hands of Braden River — and then watching arch-rival Sebring win the Class 4A-District 10 title on their home field. A close play at the plate, where it looked like Lamb had tagged the runner, was called a score and ended Avon Park's hopes of meeting the Blue Streaks in the title game. A bitter pill was being swallowed as the long faces of the Red Devils gazed at the celebrating Blue Streaks, knowing full well that it could have and should have been them. "Nobody wants to watch their rival win on their home field," Shirey said. "This team is back with a strong resolve this season, knowing that this is our chance. This is our time." ...more

February 5, 2008

Streaks Roll Past Dragons LAKE PLACID — Jake Trussell scored 19 points and senior Sam Robinson chipped in 12 as the Sebring Blue Streaks raced past Lake Placid 75-29 in the final meeting this season of the cross-county rivals. The score wasn't indicative of the performance by the Blue Streaks, who led by only 14 points at the half and played lazy at times against the Green Dragons. ...more

February 1, 2008

ARCADIA — In Julie Lamb's first at-bat of the season, she was hit by a pitch. Her next time at the plate, she was the one doing the hitting. Lamb smacked a grand-slam in the first inning on Tuesday and the Avon Park softball team got a solid outing in the circle from Ashton Shirey as the Red Devils opened up their season with a 17-0 thumping of Hardee in the DeSoto softball tournament. ...more

January 31, 2008

AVON PARK — The Avon Park City Council decided to form a seven-member committee to recommend a new police chief from the 61 applications the city received. In creating the committee, the council decided to fill the police chief's position before they found a new city manager, using the committee's recommendations to help interim City Manager Sarah Adelt pick out Frank Mercurio's successor. The city has not begun advertising for the city manager's position. ...more

January 16, 2008