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HIGHLANDS NEWS-SUN Monday, June 3, 2019 VOL. 100 | NO. 154 | $1.00 YOUR HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1919 An Edition Of The Sun District seeking principal for Fred Wild Elementary By MARC VALERO the principal position at Elementary, prior to three assistant principal STAFF WRITER Fred Wild Elementary on serving as the school’s positions to fi ll the new Thursday with a closing principal from 2014-17. position of director of SEBRING — Fred Wild date of June 12. She was transferred to safety and security. Elementary will have a According to the Fred Wild Elementary Also, the district is ad- new principal next year district offi ce, Fred Wild prior to the start of the vertising to fi ll a number with its current principal Elementary Principal 2017-18 school year. of teaching positions with resigning to move out of Jeannie Inagawa was The district is adver- openings at the elemen- state. moving to Georgia to be tising for an assistant tary level including posi- MARC VALERO/STAFF The School Board with family. principal for Sebring High tions at Park Elementary, The School Board of Highlands County is advertising for a prin- of Highlands County Inagawa was assistant with Mike Haley vacat- cipal for Fred Wild Elementary. posted the opening for principal at Cracker Trail ing one of the school’s DISTRICT | 3A Heartland 42 ½ PHIL ATTINGER/STAFF Traffi c signals hang by a wire at the junction of U.S. 27/U.S. 98 and Highlands Avenue. The developers of Wawa gas station, construction on the right, have agreed to pay a contractor to make a double turn lane into Highlands Avenue, as requested by the Florida Department of Transportation. Turn lane “I pray every day that they come home. We and mast need them home.” Janine Jones arm coming Law enforcement spouse By PHIL ATTINGER STAFF WRITER COURTESY PHOTO/HEARTLAND 42 1/2 SEBRING — With Highlands Avenue’s Melissa Worley of Heartland 42 1/2, delivers cookies to Highlands County sheriff ’s deputies during National Police Week, May 13-17. Heartland upgrade to Sebring Parkway Phase 2, and 42 1/2 is a new private group consisting of law enforcement spouses, female and male, to support those serving as law enforcement and those Wawa’s new store on that corner of U.S. supporting them from home. 27, Florida Department of Transportation wanted an extra turn lane. Highlands County Engineer Clinton Spouses supporting law enforcement, and each other Howerton Jr. said it wasn’t in the county’s budget for that phase of the Parkway, so FDOT offi cials cut a deal with Wawa. The company will pay a contractor to “Our spouses are always on duty, install an extra left-turn lane for south- bound U.S. 27 traffi c, feeding two lanes even when they aren’t on duty.” of motorists onto Parkway Phase 2 once Melissa Worley it’s done. Law enforcement spouse The county will just have to install a mast arm, as required for all traffi c hanging on wires when their intersection By PHIL ATTINGER There were fi ve women undergoes major expansion. STAFF WRITER lost in the shooting and the Howerton said the county will do it, shooter was arrested with but it will require an anchor post far SEBRING — For years, no offi cers injured. larger than normal: To put traffi c signals spouses of local law en- However, it gave law en- across that many lanes will take a mast forcement offi cers had forcement spouses a heavy at least two feet longer than 87 feet — talked about organizing reminder of the risks their the longest mast available. a countywide group for loved ones face every day, “We’re maxing it out,” Howerton said. mutual support and to and how diffi cult life could “It’s costing us some money.” better support local agency be for the spouse waiting for It will increase the Parkway Phase 2 personnel. a phone call after the fact. budget by $40,000, he said. January this year under- Long service How much will go to the mast arm scored that need. Worley said she married itself, Howerton couldn’t say. That’s when local law her husband at age 21. He For any mast arm that holds traffi c sig- enforcement spouses — was 22, and was hired a nal heads, the post is steel and concrete mostly women but also couple of years later. with a deep-set base. With a longer arm, some men — organized “I tell people I’ve been he said, the case will have to be wider. Heartland 42 ½, a reference in ‘law enforcement’ for 24 FDOT has had local governments to the police 10-code of 10- years,” Worley said. replace wire-mounted traffi c lights with 42 ½ for “spouse,” which is The best advice she got mast-mounted lights over the years for derived from the code 10-42 was to trust each other and COURTESY PHOTO/HEARTLAND 42 1/2 disaster mitigation. for “home.” that “no news is good news.” “The ones we had fared much better in During National Police “Back then, there was no A simple “thank you” gets included with care packages of cookies, the hurricane,” Howerton said, referring Week this month — May 13- cell phone,” Worley said. doughnuts or meals to local law enforcement offi cers during National Police Week. Members of Heartland 42 1/2, an organization of law to Hurricane Irma 21 months ago. 17 — members of the group “Even now, when SunTrust Signal lights themselves are “huge,” he delivered meals, cookies enforcement spouses, delivered them to show appreciation to local happened, I texted to say, ‘I law enforcement from May 13-17. said: Standing as much as fi ve feet tall or and — stereotypically — love you. Call me when you more, depending on the number of lights doughnuts to offi cers all can to tell me you’re safe.’ happens, the people who shooting death of Deputy they have, and heavy, though they may over the county in various People don’t realize (this) work with him will fi nd me,” William J. Gentry Jr., whose not look like it from a driver’s seat. agencies, wherever they with cameras out fi lming Jones said. “I know they will younger brother, Kevin Highlands County plans to start on were stationed. everything.” look out for him.” Gentry, also serves as a Phase 2 sometime this summer. It will It was an opportunity to Janine Jones, born and Is it easier with time? No. deputy. include four lanes of divided highway remind offi cers that they raised in Avon Park, has Does she dwell on it daily? “It’s been a tough year for stretching south from Youth Care Lane have support at home, and been married for 32 years No. us,” Worley said. through the intersection at DeSoto Road for spouses to remind each to another Sebring native “I pray every day that they The possibility of losing a and past Highlands Regional Medical other they have support who’s been a Highlands come home,” Jones said. spouse is always a concern. Center. from one another. County Sheriff’s deputy for “We need them home.” Those like Worley and Jones, To give HRMC a better entrance, the Melissa Worley, one of the 25 years, an offi cer in other offi cers’ spouses for two organizers, said the county Support new road will encompass a roundabout agencies before that and is The shooting affected decades or more, don’t think on the north end of the hospital prop- never had a group like this the son of a deputy. about it much, or try not to. until now. many local families, includ- erty, feeding traffi c into an upgraded “This is our county,” Jones ing one that lost a wife/ They lean on each other. parking lot by way of Medical Center On Jan. 23, for the fi rst said. Prior to now, departments time in local history, most mother/sister-in-law while Avenue. When it comes to crises, a brother, an offi cer, was on were small enough that Howerton said he is still waiting on local law enforcement offi - she doesn’t listen to or sit by spouses all knew each other, cers deployed to SunTrust duty at the incident. utility plans from the city of Sebring so her phone, Jones said. Last year, the county bank at Tubbs Road in “I know if something SPOUSES | 3A TURN | 3A Sebring for a mass shooting. pulled together after the Classifieds ......................B4-7 Local Sports ....................A6-7 Good morning To Viewpoints ....................... A4 Comics ................NEWS WIRE Lottery ..............SPORTS WIRE Robert Nicholson Highlands Health................ B1 TV Listings ....................... A8 Weather ...............NEWS WIRE facebook.com/ twitter.com/ Thanks for reading! newssun.com newssun TheNewsSun A2 | HIGHLANDS NEWS-SUN | June 3, 2019 www.highlandsnewssun.com POLICE BLOTTER The following people were Park, on three charges of failure to Oscar Perez Yepez, 60, Lake arrested on felony charges and appear. Wales, charged with driving while booked into the Highlands County Jose Louis Vazquez, 52, Sebring, license is suspended. jail on May 24: on charges of drug equipment Holton Samuel Todd, 38, Sebring, Cameron Dvaughnte Ancrum, possession, cocaine possession and on charges of obstructing justice, 27, Sebring, on charges of driving marijuana possession. criminal mischief, drug possession, without a drivers license, hit and The following people were drug equipment possession and run and fl eeing/eluding police. arrested on felony charges and two charges of battery. Lavarrien Diquan Nareem Coker, booked into the Highlands County The following people were 24, Avon Park, on two charges of jail on May 26: arrested on felony charges and probation violation.