C M Y K www.newssun.com State titles keep piling up EWS UN NHighlands County’s Hometown-S Newspaper Since 1927 Honoring a hometown hero Medal of Honor winner McGuire to Sebring takes Ozone, AAA crowns be memorialized during Centennial SPORTS, 1D LIVING,1B PAGE 2A Sunday, July 15, 2012 www.newssun.com Volume 93/Number 88 | 75 cents Forecast FEMA opens Recovery Center for Debby victims By SAMANTHA GHOLAR Sebring to help disaster stricken indi- recovery specialists available to help “Public assistance is available for [email protected] viduals and families to receive the answer questions and walk people municipalities through SBA, Small A couple of afternoon SEBRING — Highlands County assistance they need through their through the process,” Walker said. Business Administration,” explained residents affected by Tropical Storm Recovery Center. The FEMA Disaster Recovery thunderstorms Walker. “The SBA looks at applica- Debby now have a place to apply for Recovery Specialist Mary Margaret Center offers a registration center on tions and decides whether or not the High Low assistance and help in the aftermath of Walker explained the process and the site, though pre-registration is recom- applicant is eligible for a loan. They the storm. purpose behind the Recovery Center. mended for those seeking assistance. look to see if the applicant is currently FEMA (Federal Emergency “It can be frustrating and over- There are two types of assistance financially sound enough to be able to 90 74 Management Agency) has set up shop whelming after a disaster. People available through FEMA: IA (individ- re-pay a loan. Most people don’t real- Complete Forecast at the Bert J. Harris Agricultural don’t really know what to do next. ual assistance) and PA (public assis- PAGE 8A Center at 4509 George Blvd. in That’s what we are here for, we have tance). See FEMA, page 6A Online Middle, elementary school grades released APPD: Question: Sexual Should Avon Park turn over its police Good news, predator department to the sheriff’s office? tried to Yes bad news lure child % Some schools soar, By ED BALDRIDGE 53.7 [email protected] but others take a SEBRING — The city of Avon Park Police Department step back arrested a registered sexual No predator on Tuesday who allegedly tried to lure a small By CHRISTOPHER TUFFLEY boy into a van. [email protected] 46.3% Louis J. Gutierrez, 43, of SEBRING — Grades for 108n Wiggins Ave., Avon Park, Florida’s elementary and middle on charges of public schools were released Total votes: 227 probation vio- Wednesday. High school grades lation and are pending until December. Next question: attempting to In Highlands County, the two Does smoking on TV lure or entice standouts are Lake Placid B a child. and in movies lead to Elementary School and Sebring According teenagers smoking in Middle School, both of which to the report real life? maintained their consecutive string of Gutierrez form APPD A’s – Sebring Middle for seven years Make your voice heard at C Det. Nathan Coogan, Gutierrez now, Lake Placid Elementary for six. was identified by witnesses www.newssun.com Two other schools did very well. after he ordered an 11-year-old Lake Country Elementary School A boy into his car on Monday at a advanced to a B, jumping two grade levels from Obituaries business at 1901 W. Main St. a D in 2011. Arthur Allyn The arrest report stated that Avon Elementary School advanced a grade level Age 81, of Sebring Gutierrez exited a gold Saturn D and told the child in Spanish to Rita Overbey See GRADES, page 6A “get in the car” and motioned Age 86, of Lake Placid with his hand for the child to Obituaries, Page 7A come to him. The child yelled for Index What goes into creating an A school See APPD, page 6A Books 6B By CHRISTOPHER TUFFLEY Disler couldn’t keep the pride and of this year’s achievement. “I’m Business 1C [email protected] pleasure out of her voice. ecstatic. We’ve been celebrating ever New tool Classifieds 3C LAKE PLACID — For over a After a difficult year of seismic since. I’m very proud of my staff and Community Briefs 2A decade Lake Placid Elementary changes in the Florida Comprehensive students.” HCSO website School has been “a school of excel- Assessment Test, changes that impact- Crossword Puzzle 2B Asked what she thought led to the lence,” earning six consecutive As and offers way to track ed a majority of Florida schools for school’s tradition of superior perform- Dear Abby 2B before that, five consecutive Bs. the worse, Lake Placid did more than sexual predators ance, Disler said — as if the answer Editorial & Opinion 3A In a telephone interview Friday hold its own. AGE Food 4B morning, retiring principal Carole “It was a good solid A,” Disler said See LAKE, page 6A P 2A Horoscope 2B Lottery Numbers 2A Movie Times 2B Pause and Consider 2B Pigman talks League of Cities Places to Worship 6B Sports On TV 2D health care at offers Avon Park Follow the News-Sun on Oaks of Avon pension plan option By ED BALDRIDGE By CHRISTOPHER TUFFLEY Paul Shamoun, an account [email protected] [email protected] executive for the League, pre- www.twitter.com/thenewssun AVON PARK — “My favorite doctor,” AVON PARK — One option sented an brief overview of his and said a passerby Friday morning at the Oaks for providing a retirement plan organization’s program at the of Avon Nursing Home and Assisted for the city’s police and fire city council’s special meeting fighters is to contract with the Living Facility about Dr. Cary Pigman. News-Sun photo by ED BALDRIDGE Wednesday. Then she hugged him. Dr. Cary Pigman, candidate for the Florida League of Cities Shamoun said the Florida www.facebook.com/newssun Pigman, a Republican candidate for Florida House of Representatives, District municipal pension trust fund. League of Cities pension fund 55, discusses health care issues with Essentially this means out- District 55 of the Florida State House of began in 1983 and collectively Paul G. Wetmore, administrator for The sourcing the fund and its Representatives, was on hand in the City of manages plans for Florida Oaks at Avon Nursing Home and administration and relinquish- Assisted Living Center. See PIGMAN, page 7A ing local control. See AP, page 7A 0990994 01007 Phone ... 385-6155 Fax ... 385-2453 Online: www.newssun.com HEARTLAND NATIONAL BANK***; 11.25"; 1.5"; Black plus three; process, front strip; 0 0 0 2 1 0 1 9 C M Y K Page 2A News-Sun ࡗ Sunday, July 15, 2012 www.newssun.com COMMUNITY BRIEFS Medal of Honor winner McGuire Candidates speak The menu is chicken, at Tea Party coleslaw, baked beans, meeting potato salad, dessert and remembered with dedications beverage. SEBRING — School The lodge is located on As mentioned in last board candidates Mary the corner of Home Avenue week’s article, there is a spe- Lewis and Jan Shoop, as and Sebring Parkway. The cial dedication to Major well as current school public is invited; take-out Tommy McGuire during the board member Donna orders are available. Centennial focus week at 3 Howerton, will speak at the p.m. Saturday, Oct. 20. It will Highlands Tea Party meet- Road construction be held at Sebring Regional ing Tuesday. The meeting set for US 27 Airport. is at Homers Buffet, 1000 It’s hard to imagine why so Sebring Square, with a buf- SEBRING — The south- few people know the name fet at 5:30 p.m. and the side lane of County Road Thomas McGuire. Besides meeting at 6 p.m. 29 (U.S. 27) for approxi- being a top pilot, an Air Dr. Wes Johnston will mately 2,100 linear feet Force base is named in his also deliver a brief update east will be closed during honor and he’s buried in a on Heartland Christian daylight hours periodically prominent place in Arlington School. from July 16-20. One National Cemetery. Visit www.thehighland- “Lane Road Ahead” and Even in Sebring only a few steaparty.com or call 699- “Flagmen Ahead” signs remembrances of McGuire 0743 for details. will be posted when lane is remain. In an exceptional closed. place in the foyer of Sebring Social Circle meets Excavation Point Inc., High School is a photograph today working for Central of an Air Force officer and Contractors Inc., will be below it is the following Courtesy photo LAKE PLACID — constructing new curb inscription: “The late Thomas Sebring High School graduates H. McDonald (from left), Thomas McGuire Jr., B. Dutton Placid Lakes Social Circle and J. Bates served together in New Guinea during World War II. along the roadway. B. McGuire, whose memory meets from 1-3 p.m. today For more information, is preserved by the naming of at Placid Lakes Town Hall, contact Excavation Point McGuire’s Air Force Base, His battle citations include the record. 2010 Placid Lakes Blvd. Inc. at 471-1997. was born in Ridgewood, New the Asian-Pacific Campaign The war was nearly at There will be an ice cream Jersey, on August 1, 1920. He Medal and the Victory Japan’s doorstep when social. Free diabetes graduated from Sebring High Medal. McGuire inched toward On Tuesday, Aug. 28, a classes set for July School in 1938 and attended “McGuire lost his life in becoming top ace of the war. casino trip will be taken, the Georgia School of the service of his country on His record earned him top leaving from Lake Placid SEBRING — The Technology and entered the January 7, 1945, while flying billing in newspapers across American Legion at 7:45 Highlands County Health United States Army Air over Negros Island in the the country, especially in am.