HIGHLANDS NEWS-SUN Thursday, May 2, 2019
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HIGHLANDS NEWS-SUN Thursday, May 2, 2019 VOL. 100 | NO. 122 | $1.00 YOUR HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1919 An Edition Of The Sun Wildfire burns home, vehicles KIM LEATHERMAN/STAFF A fence has been put around the SunTrust Bank on Tubbs Road. It will be demolished in the next few weeks. Former SunTrust Bank site to be razed By KIM LEATHERMAN STAFF WRITER CLEVELAND NOBLES/COURTESY PHOTO SEBRING — Fire shows through the front window of a mobile home on Riverdale Road, engulfed in flames by wildfire Tuesday afternoon. It was reported SunTrust Bank at to have rekindled Wednesday morning, bur was quickly brought under control. 1901 U.S. 27 South, also known as the midtown branch, will soon be razed HCFR: ‘Rekindles’ just hot spots, ash to the ground. The bank was the scene By PHIL ATTINGER of a mass shooting STAFF WRITER on Jan. 23, in which five women were killed. SEBRING — A day after dealing with Four women — Debra Cook, Marisol a massive propane tank fire south of Lopez, Jessica Montague, and Ana Sebring, firefighters fought a five-acre Pinon-Williams — were bank employees wildfire Tuesday east of Avon Park. and one was a bank customer, Cynthia The wildfire, at the corner of Watson. Riverdale Road and North Clearwater Friends, family and residents who Drive, destroyed a home, a barn and never met the women turned the site into nine vehicles. Unlike the propane tank a makeshift memorial. After the shooting, facility fire, no one was injured. SUNTRUST | 5A Fire crews with Highlands County Fire Rescue (HCFR) and the Florida Forest Service got word of the fire at 5:05 p.m. Tuesday. When state firefighters arrived on the scene, the mobile home was already consumed Student pleads by a fast-moving, wind-driven grass fire. Crews got the wildfire contained by 7:04 p.m. The cause is currently guilty to gun/ under investigation by the Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement. Residents reported via social media drug charges that they took water to firefighters. By MARC VALERO It happened just one day after Highlands County Fire Rescue re- STAFF WRITER sponded to a massive fire in a stack of propane tanks on the south side SEBRING — A Lake Placid Middle of the Kason Crisplant propane tank School student has pleaded guilty servicing center on Twitty Road. That Tuesday in Juvenile Court to multiple fire prompted a one-mile evacuation felony charges after a loaded handgun because propane tanks had begun was found in his backpack at the school launching themselves in the air, on April 11. landing on nearby houses and woods, The male teenager pleaded guilty to lighting them ablaze. the following charges: carrying a con- Forest Service crews helped COURTESY PHOTO/HIGHLANDS COUNTY FIRE RESCUE cealed firearm, possession of a firearm county crews with a wildfire by Lake on school property, possession of a fire- Smoke billows into the sky Tuesday afternoon as a five-acre wildfire engulfs a home on River- Josephine, lit by embers from the fire. arm by a minor, possession of cannabis dale Road. The fire destroyed the home, a barn and nine vehicles, and is under investigation. HCFR Chief Marc Bashoor also said and possession of drug paraphernalia. an onsite cylinder containing 50,000 A school resource officer who called out to both sites by reports that workers had seen ash blowing around pounds of the liquid petroleum gave searched the teen’s backpack found the fires had rekindled. in one part of the site and thought it another reason for the evacuation. marijuana and after searching further The first was Twitty Road at roughly was smoke. Fortunately, although the fire burned the SRO found a handgun wrapped up 9 a.m. Battalion Chief 1 Zack Smith Then, at approximately 11 a.m., a underneath it, it was not set off. in a T-shirt at the bottom of his back- said workers clearing debris had found similar call came in about Riverdale Bashoor said the small tanks holding pack. The gun was loaded but did not some hot coals within the piles — Road. 20 pounds of propane had enough ex- have a bullet in the chamber. often called “hot spots” — and had State wildland firefighters had plosive force to land as far as a quarter The teen’s disposition hearing called them in. planned to be on scene, given the mile from the fire. County Public Information Officer potential of winds and hot spots to STUDENT | 1A Wednesday morning, firefighters got Gloria Rybinski later reported that FIRE | 3A Visit Florida gets reprieve DeSantis gives $50 M, nine months By PHIL ATTINGER the Senate to fund the good news,” Hartt said as of this time last year — STAFF WRITER agency with $19 million, Tuesday. an increase of $144,201, just enough to cover Hartt said Visit Sebring or 86%. SEBRING — Visit the agency’s expenses depends on Visit Florida For this fiscal year, Florida got a 30% budget through Oct. 1. for market research, grant Visit Sebring has spent cut and nine months to DeSantis said that while funding and cooperative $207,252 on operations prove itself to Gov. Ron he sought $76 million in marketing efforts that ($37,536), Arts & Culture DeSantis, but the agency his proposed budget for the county-based agency marketing ($39,080), and will stay open past Oct. 1. Visit Florida — the same cannot afford, even with general marketing and Florida legislators as the current and pre- a recent bump in tourist events ($130,636). agreed Monday to fund vious state budget years taxes from 2 cents to 4 The agency has an- the beleaguered agency — he’d “be fine” with cents per dollar. other $384,489 tied up through June 30, 2020, the $50 million initially At the last TDC Board in planned promotions beyond the October proposed by the Senate, meeting, Hartt reported and expected expenses: deadline when it other- News Service reported. the agency brought in $60,658 for operations, wise would have been That news pleased $121,870 in January 2019, $124,728 for Arts & FILE PHOTO eliminated, according Casey Wohl Hartt, lead compared to $54,553 in Culture, $197,753 for to reports from News consultant for Highlands January 2018. marketing/events and The Fern Garden Trail at Highlands Hammock State Park Service of Florida. While County’s tourism mar- It’s an increase of $1,350 for lake recreation meanders through lush green foliage and over a swampy area the House, a long-term keting agency, the Tourist $67,317, or 123%, she promotion. filled with wildlife. The park is one of the places promoted critic of the agency, would Development Council said. With current balances on VisitSebring and Visit Florida websites, but local tourism have let the agency die, (TDC), marketed as “Visit Year-to-date, the TDC in those accounts, Hartt marketers worry a loss of Visit Florida might keep out-of-state House members nego- Sebring.” has pulled in $312,817, visitors from knowing about such attractions. tiated with members of “Obviously, this is really compared with $168,616 TOURISM | 5A Classifieds ......................B3-7 Lottery ................Sports Wire Viewpoints ....................... A4 Good morning To Comics .................News Wire Obituaries ........................ A3 Weather ...............Sports Wire Karen DelValle Local Sports Today’s Flavor facebook.com/ twitter.com/ ....................A6-7 .................... B1 Thanks for reading! newssun.com newssun TheNewsSun A2 | HIGHLANDS NEWS-SUN | May 2, 2019 www.highlandsnewssun.com Couple arrested after fight By PHIL ATTINGER and the boy, reports said. STAFF WRITER They also saw a broom and dustpan in the kitch- SEBRING — A man en and the remains of a and woman were both broken glass elephant arrested and charged in the trash can, reports after a fight on Sunday. said. He faces assault charges, In a statement, FILE PHOTO and she’s charged with BAKER HARRISON Harrison denied hitting cruelty to a child. Baker and described her This October 2018 photo shows some of the damage in Callaway from Hurricane Michael. Highlands County her, after which she left as “crazy.” sheriff’s deputies arrested to prevent getting hit by He also denied hearing Samuel Taylor Harrison, anything else. any announcements from 41, after he allegedly Deputies did not find deputies, reports said. Duke customers could be threw a glass elephant any marks on her head, When questioned, the at 33-year-old Megan but found a bruise on her boy confirmed seeing Marie Baker during an arm, reports said. When Harrison throw the shielded from storm hikes argument. Allegedly, she asked, she told them it elephant from the living dropped the pieces of the was from a hot glue gun, room to the kitchen, but broken glass figure on but wouldn’t elaborate. said Harrison did not hit By JIM SAUNDERS customers, the utility Stempien, Duke’s state the feet of a 6-year-old She also told deputies Baker. NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA wants to use the money president, pointed to boy when he tried to the 6-year-old would The boy allegedly told to shield customers from continuing efforts to clean them up, and then be in the house with deputies that when he TALLAHASSEE — Duke the extra hurricane-re- recover from the Category allegedly wrote some- Harrison. was picking up the bro- Energy Florida wants to lated costs. The Public 5 storm that caused bil- thing on his forehead and Reports said the deputy ken pieces of elephant, use savings from a 2017 Service Commission last lions of dollars in damage chest, against his will. tried to get Harrison to Baker took the pieces out federal-tax overhaul to year approved a similar in Northwest Florida.