HIGHLANDS NEWS-SUN Tuesday, December 24, 2019 VOL. 100 | NO. 358 | $1.00 YOUR HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1919 An Edition Of The Sun Record number expected to travel this holiday season Gas prices higher than last year during this busy travel period office By MARC VALERO and a half million Floridians STAFF WRITER will be driving, an increase closing early of 200,000 from last year. Air The Highlands News- SEBRING — With a forecast travel is also expected to be up Sun will close at noon of a record number of holiday nearly 5%. today and be closed travelers, gas prices are going It will cost more to get to Wednesday so that down a bit. Still, they are your destination this year, our staff can enjoy the higher than this time last year. with gas prices up about 20 Christmas A record 6.1 million cents per gallon from 2018 and holiday Floridians plan to travel more car rental rates at their highest with their than 50 miles during the levels in a decade. families. We MARC VALERO/STAFF holidays this year. The end of the year his- will reopen The Christmas travel period The Circle K on U.S. 27 near the Southgate Shopping Center, Sebring, was torically ushers in some of at 8 a.m. busy Monday morning. Gas prices throughout the nation are higher than a began Saturday and runs Thursday, year ago. through New Year’s Day. Five GAS | 3A Dec. 26. Final shopping day PHIL ATTINGER/STAFF Children and their parents dance to the ‘Cha-Cha Slide’ played Saturday at Donaldson Park by Kiss 107.5 FM’s ‘DJ Hafody’ for the fifth annual KissMas Toy Drive and Bike Ride. KissMas helps dozens of families By PHIL ATTINGER MARC VALERO/STAFF STAFF WRITER Shoppers at the Ross store in Sebring on Monday. SEBRING — Saturday saw Christmas come for more than 40 families, for 100 children or more at the fifth annual Last minute shoppers hit the stores KissMas Toy Drive and Bike Ride. “This is one of the things I love to do,” By MARC VALERO to go out shopping to get said Frankie Glover, general manager of STAFF WRITER engaged.” Kiss 107.5 FM, host of the event. “I rode Connie said she was just down from Lakeland for this.” SEBRING — With the walking around and looking Glover said he rode his bicycle down shopping days until to get in the spirit. U.S. 98 to Bartow, turned off on U.S. 17, Christmas dwindling “We do this on Christmas and then took back roads to Avon Park down to the final two days, Eve or the day before to get where Saturday’s event took place in at shoppers were out en mass ready for Christmas and get Donaldson Park. Monday for last-minute in the mood,” she said. Kogee Gray, event coordinator, said 30- gifts and preparations for While Walt and Connie 40 families — about 97 children — had the holidays. didn’t have a sense of ur- pre-registered for the toy, gift and grocery Luz Galan, who was gency to make last-minute giveaway, but they still had people com- shopping at Ross on gift purchases, it appeared ing in all day between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday, had a good reason many others still had a “We want every child to have a to be shopping last minute shopping list to complete toy,” said gray, daughter of Avon Park for gifts for four people. and that included stopping Councilwoman Brenda Gray, who also “Because I was in by the supermarket for helped out at the event. Panama, the country, and I MARC VALERO/STAFF holiday meal and festive Kogee Gray got involved with this came last night, so I am late food items. event, she said, because 18 years ago, for shopping,” she said. Holiday browsers and shoppers at Lakeshore Mall on Monday. According to the National she started doing charity work with But, she did bring some Retail Federation, 56% of The Puerto Rican Kissimmee Manifestation Worldwide in Tampa, also gifts from Panama — shoppers expect to pur- native has been living in Walt and Connie Large known as The Center for Manifestation. “Coffee from Panama, hats chase their last gift between Highlands County for 23 of Sebring shopped at There she ran three food pantries, and from Panama and a dress.” Dec. 18 and Christmas Eve, years. She was going to Lakeshore Mall. still does, but when she moved back The five hats she brought today. leave Monday night to go “We are starting to get the from Panama were in fact to her father’s house in spirit,” Walt said. “You have KISSMAS | 3A “Panama” hats, Galan said. SHOP | 3A What’s your favorite holiday movie? By ROBERT MILLER Pollard said. Vacation,” NEWS CLERK Then there are “Nightmare those who endlessly Before SEBRING — The holidays are a debate the validity Christmas,” time of family and tradition. Everyone of whether movies “White has their favorite holiday music or like “Die Hard” are Christmas,” favorite holiday treats. One tradition actually Christmas Rankin that never fails to spark a debate, movies. (It is!) and Bass’ at least in a fun way — the favorite Way back in “Rudolph holiday movie. 2017, “Die Hard” the Red- Even more so than which movie screenwriter COURTESY PHOTO IMDB Nosed to watch for Halloween, the debate Steven E. De A screenshot from “National Lampoon’s Reindeer” over which Christmas/holiday movie Souza wrote on Christmas Vacation.” and “The to watch, or even if it is a Christmas COURTESY PHOTOIMDB Twitter, “How Grinch.” COURTESY PHOTO IMDB movie, grows more intense each year. could it not be a “‘Nightmare Before Christmas’ is The most While many people still latch onto the Christmas movie?,” always a must for Halloween AND popular classics such as “Miracle on 34th Street” after CNN anchor Jake Tapper asked Christmas,” said Cheryl Lynn Gonzales. Christmas movie was “A and “Home Alone,” others gravitate to De Souza’s opinion on the matter. In “‘The Santa Clause’ is mine and my Christmas Story.” more modern movies such as the Will December 2018, Twentieth Century Fox, son’s traditional Christmas movie, we Brad Haislip said, “‘Christmas Ferrell starring as “Elf.” the studio that distributed the movie 30 watch it every year.” Gonzales added Vacation’ has the top spot.” “The only holiday movie I HAVE to years ago, made a statement saying that that it’s mandatory to watch the TBS Still there are those who prefer quiet watch every year is ‘It’s A Wonderful not only was “Die Hard” a Christmas marathon of “A Christmas Story.” time with family and friends, away from Life’ with Jimmy Stewart. It just isn’t movie, but it was “the greatest In a Facebook poll on Highlands all the politics, work and screen time. Christmas if Clarence doesn’t get his Christmas story ever told,” according to News-Sun’s page, favorites included wings,” Sebring resident Tammie a story in The Washington Post. “National Lampoon’s Christmas MOVIES | 3A Classifieds ......................B5-8 Obituaries ........................ A4 Viewpoints ....................... A6 Good morning To Comics ................A7-8, B9-10 Sports ............................ B1 Weather .........................A10 Lisa Davis Lottery ........................... B2 TV Listings ....................... A9 facebook.com/ twitter.com/ Thanks for reading! newssun.com newssun TheNewsSun A2 | HIGHLANDS NEWS-SUN | December 24, 2019 www.highlandsnewssun.com 5 THINGS That Will Make You SMARTER Semi cab overturns on U.S. 27 1. Yule was the name land’s rebirth. of the old Winter Solstice 4. Families would FHP: Driver had family in cab, passengers taken to hospital festivals in northern bring the trunk of the Europe. Christmas tree inside and By PHIL ATTINGER outside northbound 2. Yule was the darkest stick the big end of it into STAFF WRITER lane, pointed into the time of year; people cel- the fi replace. The Yule just-completed north ebrated because the days log would feed the fi re SEBRING — Florida entrance/exit at the site would start getting longer through the 12 Days of Highway Patrol did not of a future Wawa station after the solstice. Christmas. have word yet, on the on the east side of the 3. The Yule log was 5. Originally, the Yule scene, of how a truck road. symbolic of the Sun’s log was an entire tree. driver’s family was Emergency crews fi rst emergence from its — The Old Farmer’s doing after his semi cab got dispatched to the southern reaches and the Almanac overturned. wreck at 7:32 a.m. After They did not have patients were transported life-threatening injuries, by Highlands County however, according Emergency Medical to both FHP and Services, the fire crew Bass arrested after fi refi ghters from West cleaned up an oil spill Sebring Volunteer Fire PHIL ATTINGER/STAFF from the engine. Department, Station 9. Fortunately, said West initial escape The driver, 27-year-old A Florida Highway Patrol trooper speaks with the truck driver, Sebring Fire Department Ramon Rodriguez-Barreto 27-year-old Ramon Rodriguez-Berreto of Davenport, after his Communication Officer By KIM LEATHERMAN arrest and of Davenport, said they cab fl ipped over onto U.S. 27. FHP reported on scene that the Daniel Baker, none of STAFF WRITER the offi cer driver, southbound, lost control on approach to Sun ‘N Lake were en route to Miami. the 50 gallons of diesel was able to Boulevard. The cab spun and tipped over as it crossed the FHP listed him, his wife, in his tanks had spilled. SEBRING — Jonathon determine median. The driver’s family, passengers with him, were trans- age 26; two children, ages That would have re- Lane Bass, 24, of Sebring that Bass ported with non-life threatening injuries.