HIGHLANDS NEWS-SUN Monday, June 11, 2018 VOL. 99 | NO. 162 | $1.00 YOUR HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1919 AN EDITION OF THE SUN Summer reading DUI citations rocks! jump up this year By MELISSA MAIN STAFF WRITER SEBRING — DUI citations from law enforcement agents in Highlands County have risen dramatically since last year. From January 2017 through April 2017, Highlands County Sheriff’s Office dep- uties issued 16 DUI citations. However, that rose to 49 for the same period in 2018 — a 206 percent increase. Sheriff’s Office spokesman Scott Dressel said, “The difference in the numbers can be attributed to MELISSA MAIN/STAFF SOBERING some new depu- FACTS ABOUT ties we have who Sebring Public Library rocks its summer reading program designed to keep students’ reading skills sharp during the summer. are very vigilant DUIS when it comes to •Drunk driving costs the looking for drivers Sebring Public Library’s fun activities United States $132 billion that may be a year. impaired.” •About 1 in 7 teens binge- Lake and reading programs get children busy drinks, but only 1 in 100 Placid Police parents believes his or her Department saw By MELISSA MAIN child binge-drinks. a 133 percent STAFF WRITER •Fifty-seven percent of increase in DUI fatally injured drivers citations from SEBRING—The summer rocks at had alcohol and/or other January 2017 Sebring Public Library with loads of drugs in their system, and through April fun summer activities and a reading 17 percent had both. 2017 compared program designed with incentives •The rate of drunk driving to the same time to keep children reading throughout is highest among 26- to this year. In the the summer. 29-year-olds (20.7 first quarter of On June 6, the library’s children percent). 2017, three DUI section was almost filled to capacity •Everyday 29 people die citations were as students enjoyed a rock and roll due to drunk-driving issued in Lake session that gave them an oppor- crashes. That is one Placid, but that tunity to listen to the book, the fatality every 50 minutes. number jumped Octopus’s Garden, by Ringo Starr. to seven for the Krystyl Farmer, library assistant, Source: Mothers Against first quarter of played a recording of Starr, of Drunk Driving 2018, according Beatles fame, singing the lyrics to to the Lake Placid the song, which corresponded to Police Department. the words in the book. The children Sebring Police Department experi- sang along with the catchy tune. Krystyl Farmer presented the children’s enced an 800 percent increase in the first The students also played an ice program at Sebring Public Library. She quarter of 2018 compared to 2017. breaker game where they each re- organizes the hands-on events for the Although Sebring police only issued ceived a picture of half of an animal. children. one DUI citation in the first quarter They walked along the library aisles of 2017, the department gave out nine making their animal sounds until there are trips you can take in your during the first quarter of 2018. Those they found the person who had the bedroom or living room while you numbers are expected to continue to rise other half of their picture. Once they are reading.” because, according to department rep- found each other, they introduced Farmer has resentative Annette Robb, Sebring police themselves and began enjoying the designed 13 UPCOMING EVENTS AT has already issued four DUI citations in activities more as they made friends. summer events SEBRING LIBRARY May. Afterwards, each child painted a to encourage Once the citation has been issued, the rock with several different colors of reading and Thursday, June 14 at 2 p.m. – Mark State Attorney’s Office determines if there Wade’s Rocking out at the library show acrylic paint and made an octopus prevent sum- is sufficient evidence to proceed with the Friday, June 15 at 4 p.m. – STEAM from a paper coffee filter. For parents mer slide, a case. slide in aca- workshop explores science, tech- The office looks at driving patterns, the looking to encourage reading and nology, engineering, art and math keep their children entertained during demics where smell of alcohol, bloodshot eyes, slurred students can Saturday, June 16 at 2 p.m. – Peter the summer, the library program Rabbit (PG) speech, and the results of field sobriety offers a free program that is highly lose two to and Breathalyzer tests. three months Thursday, June 28 at 2 p.m. – I entertaining. Survived the Library! Anyone who has a driver’s license is Estela Patrick, library assistant, said of reading supposed to take the Breathalyzer test progress. Lead Saturday, June 30 at 2 p.m. – Early that all the programs are sponsored Man (PG) when asked. In cases of an accident, a by the Friends of the Sebring Library. Librarian Maria blood draw can be taken to determine “They donate money for the materials Chenique said: the amount of alcohol in the blood. In and sponsor performers, she said. “If they don’t addition, officers also question suspects Julie Watson, who brought her two read, when they go back to school about when they were drinking and how grandchildren to the program said: their reading skills will diminish. much they were drinking. “We started the summer reading We want to instill a love for reading Although defendants have the right program at the library, because in children and a desire to learn to a speedy trial, 95 percent of defense reading is important. There’s a world and explore new things. We pair Aiden Watson, 9, painted a rock at the Sebring DUI | 6 of adventure through a book, and LIBRARY | 6 Public Library’s children’s program. School enrollment numbers up By MARC VALERO Elementary School, “unweighted count,” STAFF WRITER with an increase of 36 which is the actual students from 802 to number of students, and SEBRING — The 838, and Woodlawn a “weighted count” that school year ended with Elementary School, with factors in the additional 45 more students on the an increase of 26 stu- costs for serving students last day compared to last dents from 585 to 611. in programs for ESE year in the Highlands Assistant (Exceptional Student County School District, Superintendent of Education) and ESOL but the mid-year enroll- Business Operations (English for Speakers of ment surveys showed a Mike Averyt said he goes Other Languages.) larger increase. by the FTE, which is the The District’s un- The 2017-18 school Full-Time Equivalent stu- weighted FTE was up 154 year ended on May 24 dent count upon which and its weighted FTE was with an enrollment count the district receives its up 196 compared to the of 12,470, with Avon Park state funding. 2016-17 school year. High School showing an The two main counts The net increase in increase of 78 students are done during a week state funding was just from 973 to 1,051, which in October and February short of $500,000, Averyt negates the drop in of each school year. For said. enrollment at many the 2017-18 school year, The end-of-the-year schools. the survey weeks were student count will be a The other big gain- Oct. 9-13 and Feb. 5-9. MARC VALERO/STAFF ers were Lake Placid There is an SCHOOL| 6 Student enrollment was up for the 2017-18 school year at the School Board of Highlands County. Comics ..... ......................NEWS WIRE Local Sports .......................A7-8 Good Morning To Viewpoints .............................A5 Classifieds ..........................B5-7 Lottery ..........................SPORTS Patti Brok Weather .................NEWS WIRE Thanks for reading! facebook.com/ twitter.com/ Highlands Health .................. B1 Obituaries ..............................A4 newssun.com newssun TheNewsSun A2 | HIGHLANDS NEWS-SUN | Monday, June 11, 2018 www.highlandsnewssun.com Polk church volunteers aid Guatemalan volcano victims By MELISSA MAIN eight volunteers from occurred, and it took STAFF WRITER the Church on the Hill, almost all day for the along with the seven groups to get off the DUNDEE — Eight vol- from Parkland Baptist, mountain. unteers from the Church also assisted in relief The church groups on the Hill in Dundee ar- efforts. planned to continue rived in Guatemala June Each congregation their relief efforts in the 2 just hours before the built one house last aftermath of the erup- first volcanic explosion. Monday, following the tions, including passing Their mission was massive Volcán de Fuego out water filters so that to join Winter Haven’s volcanic explosion. The residents can have clean Parkland Baptist Church next day the volunteers drinking water. in its efforts to build made sandwiches and While working houses for residents lunch bags to feed relief outdoors, the church there. However, after workers. While work- members had to wear masks due to the heavy ash permeating the air. COURTESY PHOTO They were not able to build as many houses as Pictures of the devastation left behind after volcanic eruptions in Guatemala. Volunteers from they had planned, but the Church on the Hill in Dundee were volunteering with relief efforts. their assistance during Although volunteer re- to stop searching. even as they uncover this disaster had been lief workers are expected Residents are angry bodies, questions may an encouragement to to go home, fury mounts that the government is still loom. Many of relief workers and local over the ending of the allowing their relatives the recovered bodies residents. Guatemalan government to be buried underneath have been charred and The volunteers had search-and-rescue ef- the disaster area, Time identification has not been able to continue forts.