HIGHLANDS NEWS-SUN Thursday, June 20, 2019 VOL. 100 | NO. 171 | $1.00 YOUR HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1919 An Edition Of The Sun Free lunch program eyed for every district student By MARC VALERO Community Eligibility Provision. This allows school staff to focus STAFF WRITER According to a summary of more on providing nutritious meals the program, the Community to students and less on collecting SEBRING — Free lunch for every Eligibility Provision allows schools cumbersome paperwork. K-12 public school student is a and school districts in high-poverty School Board Director of Food possibility with The School Board communities to serve meals at no & Nutrition Tim Thompson said of Highlands County considering cost to all students through the Wednesday, if approved by the participation in a program target- existing National School Lunch School Board, “Instead of doing ing high-poverty communities. and School Breakfast programs, free and reduced applications, MARC VALERO/STAFF The agenda for Tuesday’s School without requiring schools to collect the entire county would have free The School Board of Highlands County will consider partic- Board meeting shows a recom- paper applications for free or lunch,” in addition to the already ipating in a program that would provide free lunch to all mendation to participate in the reduced-price eligibility. LUNCH | 11A students. Help wanted COURTESY PHOTO/KARRON NEALE TEDDER “Thelma and Louise” on one of their trips to South Carolina. COURTESY PHOTO/CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Standing is Thelma Pyle and seated is Betty Lou “Louise” Neale, whose daughter, after Neale’s death, stepped into her mother’s 20 different classes of vehicles make up the car show for judging at the annual Caladium Car & Bike Show. Special awards are role as a close friend and confidant of Pyle. Pyle died on Sunday chosen by Mayor John Holbrook and Chief of Police James Fansler. and Neale’s daughter, Karron Tedder, said the impact of that loss is tremendous and hasn’t yet hit her fully. Caladium Car & Bike Show needs volunteers By KIM LEATHERMAN ‘Miss Sebring’ STAFF WRITER LAKE PLACID — The annual Caladium Car & Thelma Pyle missed Bike Show will take place from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 27 at DeVane Park during the Loved ones miss confidant, Caladium Festival weekend. The car and bike show has been a long-standing companion, coordinator tradition but the 23rd year may be the last if new volunteers do not step up and take over, according to Bob Larson, event chairman. By PHIL ATTINGER community servant; a Larson is concerned the show may run out of fuel STAFF WRITER director, volunteer and staff member of the SEBRING — Her nick- Greater Sebring Chamber COURTESY PHOTO/CHAMBER OF COMMERCE name was “Miss Sebring,” of Commerce for more An average of 170 cars and motorcycles show up for the and if you wanted to than 30 years, and served Caladium Car & Bike Show. This year’s event will be at 7 a.m. on know anything about three terms on the Saturday, July 27 at DeVane Park in Lake Placid. the city or its people, in Sebring City Council from detail, Thelma Pyle could 1978 to 1983, with a term because current volunteers are aging. He said he is tell you. as the first female council over 80 years old and has a health issue. Her fount of knowledge president in 1980. “I am stepping down next year as chairman,” he left on Sunday when She also owned and said. “I will help but we need some younger people she died at age 88 after operated The Kiddie Shop — new blood.” a struggle with illness. The solicitation is the hardest part of his job as Pyle was a dedicated PYLE | 11A chairman, he said. “We have a great car show,” he said. “Nobody gives out more car products than us.” Larson has been involved with the car show for 15 years. He said volunteers should love cars and have some knowledge of them, especially judges. Other Lightning causes positions that need to be filled are people to assist with parking the cars and helping with registration. FILE PHOTO “The hours would be from 6:30 a.m. to noon on LP power outages July 27,” Larson said. “It is hard to find volunteers A completely restored classic Willys Jeep station wagon drew because of the heat and hours. It makes for a long, By KIM LEATHERMAN the attention of lots of car show fans at a previous Caladium STAFF WRITER Car & Bike Show. CARS | 11A LAKE PLACID — Stumbling through the dark with no coffee brewing was the scene Galarza again seeks new lawyer in nearly 3,000 residenc- es of Placid Lakes on Wednesday morning. Assigned to Public The power outage was mainly focused in the COURTESY PHOTO/NOAA Defender’s office Lake Placid subdivision. However, some residents A lighting strike was found to By PHIL ATTINGER has assigned Galarza’s near Lake Sirena, within be responsible for cutting off STAFF WRITER case to the Public Lake Placid town limits, power Wednesday morning Defender’s Office reported outages on to nearly 3,000 people in SEBRING — For the and has set Galarza a social media. Highlands County. second time in as many deadline of returning A smaller outage was equipment,” she said. months, 19-year-old with a new attorney on reported in Sebring as “We were able to reroute Daniel Luis Galarza Monday, June 24. well. some of our customers.” needs a new attorney. It was just a month Ana Gibbs, senior The power was first Elton J. Gissendanner ago in May when communications consul- reported out at 5:46 a.m. III filed and was granted Gissendanner entered tant with Duke Energy, Many Placid Lakes a motion on Wednesday a not guilty plea on said the outage was morning to withdraw Galarza’s behalf before residents received an caused by lightning. initial text alert around as Galarza’s attorney in Judge J. David Langford. “The outage that the latter’s attempted Galarza, 19, was not in PHIL ATTINGER/STAFF 6 a.m. saying the power had 2,701 customers would be restored by murder and attempted court that day, but was out. It was caused by Daniel Luis Galarza is led out of Highlands County Circuit Court 9:15 a.m. A second text robbery case. present on Wednesday. lighting, which hit our on Wednesday after his attorney, Elton J. Gissendanner III, alert followed just after Circuit Court Judge Galarza is charged withdrew from his attempted murder case. Judge Peter Estrada equipment. Lighting hit Peter Estrada granted 7 a.m. saying the power COURT | 11A has given Galarza until Monday to meet with a member of the our pole but impacted Gissendanner’s motion, Public Defender’s Office. some of our nearby POWER | 11A Classifieds .................... B6-11 Lottery ........................... B2 Viewpoints ......................A10 Good morning To Comics ..................... B11-14 TV Listings ......................A13 Weather .........................A14 Alex Anderson Sports ............................ B1 facebook.com/ twitter.com/ Thanks for reading! newssun.com newssun TheNewsSun A2 | HIGHLANDS NEWS-SUN | June 20, 2019 www.highlandsnewssun.com Dozen honored with coins Judge sentences serial Bashoor: Fulfilled rapist to life, again By LEA LEONARD the type ‘chain of survival’ STAFF WRITER of crime, By PHIL ATTINGER the sheet SEBRING — generally STAFF WRITER Authorities sentenced dictates a serial rapist to life in SEBRING — “It takes a village,” whether an prison again for a series as the saying goes, but to save a life offender of violent crimes that — the life of a local man who went receives took place in Sebring into full cardiac arrest — it took a WEEKS prison dozen. decades ago. A resen- time. A dozen people, including tencing hearing was held After Weeks violated firefighters, emergency medical Tuesday. his probation in 2007, personnel, a deputy, two civilians “I’m tired of sentencing authorities said they and a dispatcher each received this guy,” said Circuit assessed points, accord- the Lifesaver Challenge Coin Judge Anthony Ritenour ing to legal parameters, from Highlands County Fire to other courtroom mem- that brought his score Rescue on Tuesday during the bers after the suspect’s above 600 — a score of Highlands County Board of County hearing. 44 requires mandatory David Richard Weeks, Commission meeting. PHIL ATTINGER/STAFF prison time. Fire Rescue Chief Marc Bashoor 59, was arrested in May Under this system, the said they each fulfilled a “chain of Lee Pearson presents Kristen Marie Angel, second from the left, with a Lifesaver Chal- 1986 for three crimes court said it was permis- survival.” He counted six links in lenge Coin for being one of the dozen shown here who revived him from full cardiac in what authorities sible that Weeks receive that chain, but said there can be arrest and played a part in getting him to an emergency room. At left is Sandra Sodic characterized as a violent life in prison. Weeks any number of links. who called 911 dispatcher Mauriella Wise. Wise was not present at Tuesday’s award “one-man crime spree” challenged the judge- If any one of those links breaks, ceremony. 911 Supervisor Heather Carr, accepted her award for her. whereby he viciously ter- ment and an appellate Bashoor said after the ceremony, Bashoor said he finds it a mean- rorized and subsequently court, in 2012, ruled in there’s a chance the patient may ingful coincidence that Pearson is attacked three different his favor citing that 85 not make it. a veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard, women over a course of points were not eligible to In the case of Lee Pearson, who whose motto of “Semper Paratus” 10 days.