"We the People" of Highlands County elected the county officials and "We the People" must voice our concerns as no state representative, governor, senator or president will act on our concerns for us. It is our duty to see that the elected officials of our county government spend our hard earned money appropriately. ...more

September 2, 2008

SEBRING - Efforts to place on the 2008 ballot a property tax to help the county conserve environmentally sensitive lands appear to be dead after its backers conceded to a county advisory commission that the worsening economy would damper its support. The Natural Resources Advisory Commission agreed, as it voted against drafting the revised ballot language for the proposal before the Aug. 26 deadline for it to appear on November's general election ballot. ...more

July 31, 2008

After four years in the Florida House of Representatives, Republican Denise Grimsley has plenty of specifics on the top issues she would pursue if she's re-elected to a third two-year term. ...more

July 21, 2008

It's not as if the City of Charm might be represented in Atlanta, but a computer engineer, real estate broker and Avon Park native is hoping to become a state representative in Georgia. ...more

July 19, 2008

A Good Deal Undone Regarding "State Deal With Tribe To Gamble Goes Bust" (front page, July 4): ...more

July 12, 2008

Four of the five Highlands County commissioners are leaning toward letting voters decide in the November general election whether they want to pay an extra 2/10ths of 1 mill in property tax to fund purchase of conservation lands. ...more

July 9, 2008

SEBRING - Four of the five Highlands County commissioners are leaning toward letting voters decide in the November general election whether they want to pay an extra 2/10ths of 1 mill in property tax to fund purchase of conservation lands. On Tuesday, though, they agreed with county Administrator Michael Wright that more public discussion and input is needed before they decide to put it on the ballot. ...more

July 8, 2008

HUDSON -- Even in the Information Age, finding useful, specific information on demand can be a challenge. For seniors, it can be especially daunting to even locate services and agencies that aid older people, let alone make the most of them. U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis and Community Aging and Retirement Services cut out a lot of the legwork Monday, as they teamed up to organize and host a Senior Health & Wellness Fair at the CARES Rao Musunuru, M.D., Enrichment Center. ...more

June 28, 2008

Technology has changed the way political campaigns are run, according to several local politicians, candidates and party officials. Chuck Oakes, state committeeman from the Highlands County Republican Party, said that the Internet made a major impact on political campaigning. "Instead of people coming out at night and listening to speeches, they rely on the Internet," said Oakes. "Instead of watching a debate on television, they're watching segments on the Internet." One real advantage is the number of computer savvy-younger voters who get their political information from the web. ...more

June 25, 2008

SEBRING — First-term Republican Highlands County Commissioner Barbara Stewart won a second-four-year term Friday afternoon when nobody filed to run against her for the commission seat from the Avon Park district. Meanwhile, state Rep. Denise Grimsley, R- Lake Placid, will have a potentially formidable opponent in her bid for re-election. At 3:30 p.m. Friday, three and a half hours after the noon deadline for certifying candidates, the Florida Division of Elections certfified a potentially formidable independent candidate who goes straight to the November general election. ...more

June 20, 2008