Kathy Gaudino knew at a young age what she wanted to do in life, noting in the 1981 West Haven, Conn., High School yearbook that her career ambition was to work with animals. ...more

August 31, 2008

SEBRING – From their presentation to the Highlands County commissioners Tuesday, you can say one thing about the folks who run the Atlantic Blue corporation. When it comes to planning a new, self-sufficient and sustainable city in a remote area of southern Highlands County, which many people describe as "the middle of nowhere," they sure plan big. ...more

June 24, 2008

Sunday's storm mostly brought light rainfall to the area but drenched Placid Lakes, a subdivision to the southwest of Lake Placid. ...more

June 23, 2008

Recent local newspaper articles jubilantly announced preliminary plans for ethanol to be produced by a plant just south of Lake Placid. Articles indicated the ethanol would be produced from sorghum cane that would be grown in southern Highlands County. They directed attention to the jobs that would be created by this program; however, no mention was made of the great amount of water needed to produce at least two crops of this sorghum per year and the four to five gallons of water required to produce each gallon of ethanol. ...more

May 30, 2008

An airplane labeled Iraqi Air Force made an emergency landing on a rural Central Florida highway - near a town called Venus, no less. ...more

February 22, 2008

VENUS — Along an isolated road near the Highlands-Glades county line, a single-engine plane with Iraqi Air Force insignia was grounded Wednesday afternoon. Doug Oliver, a spokesman for Cessna Aircraft Company in Wichita, Kan., confirmed that the plane, a Cessna 172 Skyhawk, is a basic training aircraft intended for sale to the Iraqi Air Force. There were no injuries or damages reported in the emergency landing. ...more

February 21, 2008

VENUS — Highlands County Sheriff's Office deputies are continuing to guard a single-engine airplane with Iraqi air force markings that made an emergency landing here on Wednesday afternoon. ...more

February 21, 2008

VENUS — Brad Krohn said it is "really exciting" for his company and it is "tremendously honored" to have received a $7 million grant for a proposed sugar to ethanol biorefinery in southern Highlands County. But Krohn, president of United States EnviroFuels, knows he has to get permits in place from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and Highlands County before the first gallon of ethanol is produced. The Highlands County Commission must also sign off on the plant. It typically takes eight to 12 months for permitting, but Krohn is hopeful it will get done sooner. ...more

January 27, 2008

SEBRING — Residents, fisheries and businesses around Lake Istokpoga are bracing for another drawdown request that will, if granted, last much longer than the one granted this summer. Even though summer rains made it so that Istokpoga's water wasn't needed back then, the latest request could last until the end of next summer, and it would include the water-intensive spring time when growers and landscapers alike use the greatest amount of water. Highlands County Lakes Manager Clell Ford was not sure how great an impact this deviation would have on the lake, but he was certain it would be consequential if it is approved, unlike the last one. South Florida Water Management District, which manages Lake Istokpoga, asked the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers last month to allow for a new drawdown. ...more

November 27, 2007

LAKE PLACID — After last week's cut-off against water permit holders using Lake Istokpoga's water, the South Florida Water Management District is preparing a brand new drawdown request. SFWMD spokeswoman Missie Barletto wrote a press release last week saying they were going to apply to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for a "temporary deviation to Lake Istokpoga's regulation schedule" to allow more water than usually permitted from the lake to supply farms and residents downstream. In other words, Lake Istokpoga's water level could drop down if homes and farms need the water, although given the sluggish approval of the last drawdown request, it could be a few months before that happens. "The District intends to file a new request to the Corps for a revised deviation, which may provide some relief for users whose withdrawal points are directly connected to the lake," Barletto said in the e-mailed release. ...more

October 16, 2007