C M Y K www.newssun.com Champs! Sebring softball captures district title EWS UN SPORTS, 1D NHighlands County’s Hometown-S Newspaper Since 1927 SPD honors 2 On to state Top cop, civilian LP’s Charite (left), Miller recognized advance from regional LIVING, 1B PAGE 2A SPORTS, 1D Sunday, April 22, 2012 www.newssun.com Volume 93/Number 52 | 75 cents Forecast Family of eight Teen Thunderstorms likely early in the day jailed High Low 79 60 loses home to fire for Complete Forecast PAGE 8A Online arson By ED BALDRIDGE [email protected] AVON PARK — Highlands County detectives arrested an Avon Park teen on Question: Does Thursday and charged him Florida need stricter with setting fire to a house to gun laws? cover up a burglary. According to an arrest warrant from the HCSO, Yes Kevin Scott McHargue was apprehended at his home for allegedly setting a fire at 27.3% 2247 Longbottom Road in the Avon Parks Lakes area. State Fire Marshal Raymond Miles Davis ruled the fire as arson Thursday No News-Sun photo by KATARA SIMMONS after it was discovered that The Josue home located at 410 Circle St. in Avon Park was engulfed by fire Saturday morning. an open flame was the cause. 72.7% A lighter and a shoe imprint was discovered in the Family escapes fire backyard of the house and an HCSO K9 unit was dis- Total votes: 128 patched. without injuries After a neighborhood can- Next question: vas, a neighbor put By SAMANTHA GHOLAR The single-family home Is too much emphasis McHargue leaving the area [email protected] located at 410 Circle St. in put on standardized just before the fire was AVON PARK — Amid a Avon Park was fully engulfed reported. testing in schools? crowd of neighbors and in flames as Avon Park and Davis ruled the fire as onlookers, 22-year-old James Highlands Lakes Fire Make your voice heard at arson because “existing evi- Josue crouched somberly Departments arrived on the dence suggested a burglary www.newssun.com next to his sister, 19-year-old scene. had occurred prior to the fire Rose Josue, both watching According to neighbors being started,” the report Obituaries motionlessly as local fire- and bystanders, the fire News-Sun photo by KATARA SIMMONS states. fighters worked to extinguish began approximately 9:40 Siblings James Josue, 22, and Rose Josue, 19, watch Patricia King Canine Officer Maverick a fire that engulfed the Josue somberly as Avon Park and Highlands Lakes Fire Age 70, of Sebring Departments extinguish their family’s home. family’s home Saturday. See FIRE, page 7A See TEEN, page 7A Robert Knapp Age 76, of Avon Park David McGovern Age 46, of Sebring Unemployment lowest since November ’08 Larry Roberts Age 77, of Sebring By ED BALDRIDGE There were 3,689 fell 0.4 percentage point from adjusted total nonagricultural the past year. [email protected] Highlands County residents the month-ago rate of 9.4 employment was 7,328,700 Flagler County had the Obituaries, Page 6A SEBRING — Highlands still on the unemployment percent – this was the largest in March 2012, an increase of highest unemployment rate at County’s unemployment rate rolls in March, the FDEO over- the-month decline in 10,800 jobs ( up 0.1 percent) 12.2 percent in March. Over Index for March was 8.1 percent, reported. Florida’s seasonally the state’s jobless rate since over the month. the year, statewide, the con- Business 1C according to the Florida adjusted unemployment rate October 1992. The number of jobs in the struction industry lost 13,500 Department of Economic was 9.0 percent in March, the The March 2012 rate was state was up 89,800 over the jobs and total government Chalk Talk 3C Opportunity on Friday. lowest since January 2009. 1.7 percentage points lower year, an increase of 1.2 per- declined by 12,000 jobs. Classifieds 4C The current percentage is There were 836,000 job- than the year-ago rate of 10.7 cent from March 2011, Trade, transportation, and Community Briefs 2A the lowest unemployment less Floridians out of a labor percent. The U.S. rate was according to the FDEO. utilities gained 30,400 jobs at Crossword Puzzle 2B rate since it hit 8.1 percent in force of 9,282,000. 8.2 percent in March. Nationally, the number of an $37,109 average annual November of 2008. The statewide March rate Florida’s seasonally jobs was up 1.5 percent over wage. Dear Abby 2B Editorial & Opinion 3A Horoscope 2B Lottery Numbers 2A Happy & sad start to AP Relay Movie Times 2B FCAT goes on despite Pause & Consider 2B Sports On TV 2D power outage at schools Follow the News-Sun on By CHRISTOPHER TUFFLEY after a 20-minute delay and [email protected] Woodlawn by 11 a.m. SEBRING — Tuesday, the sec- Sebring Middle was not so fortu- ond day of Florida Comprehensive nate. It’s power could not be www.twitter.com/thenewssun Assessment Tests, an unsettling restored in time. Those tests were and thing happened — power went out postponed to the next day — which at Sebring Middle School, Sebring fortunately had been scheduled as a High School and Woodlawn make-up day. News-Sun photo by KATARA SIMMONS Darla Olson holds hands with cancer survivor Marlow Rivera during the Elementary School at the same “Tuesday was a day,” said assis- time. Relay For Life survivor’s walk Saturday at Joe Franza Stadium in Avon www.facebook.com/newssun tant superintendent Becky Fleck, Park. Sadly, just after the start of the event an announcement was made Sebring High School and relief and exhaustion mixed in her that Tina Gilbert-Schenck had lost her battle with breast cancer and died Woodlawn Elementary were back voice. She added that test adminis- at home with her husband Brent by her side. Schenck had been active on line in time to complete the with Relay for Life for the past eight years and had been fighting cancer 1 for 9 ⁄2 years. day’s testing, the high school only See FCAT, 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 1 8 4 4 0 C M Y K Page 2A News-Sun ࡗ Sunday, April 22, 2012 www.newssun.com COMMUNITY BRIEFS Hicks, Egg Hunt $1,000 winner Greenhoe to appear served Christmas dinner to Williams at Scribes Night the hungry and homeless in Out today Lake Placid for more than 30 years. Every booking on SEBRING – On hold for the cruise will help con- honored the past three weeks, tribute to the funds needed Scribes Night Out (SNO) to continue this tradition. by SPD resumes its regular sched- The cruise departs Fort ule at 6:30 p.m. today at By SAMANTHA GHOLAR Lauderdale on Jan. 26, Brewster’s Coffee House, [email protected] with Verwayne Greenhoe 2013 for a fabulous seven- SEBRING — The serving as the “Featured day cruise to the Eastern Sebring Police Reader.” Caribbean. Ports of call Department recognized Greenhoe describes most include St. Thomas, Virgin two outstanding individu- of his writing as “… fic- Islands, San Juan, Puerto als Tuesday evening at tion based on facts and Rico and Nassau the Sebring City Council experiences. I take what I Bahamas. The cruise will meeting for their dedica- know to be true, what I also feaure some legendary tion and service to the believe to be true, and baseball greats who will be job and the community. what dark little twists my on board to tell their base- Chief of Police Tom mind can make and run ball stories and sign auto- Dettman presented the Courtesy photo Joe Mullins and Brian Jennings from the Alan Jay Automotive Network and Judy Spiegel, with it.” graphs. City Council with the president of The Humane Society of Highlands County, present Mike Ritacco of Sebring Because he’s also a “car- Call Sandy 243-3097 for 2011 Police Officer of and his family the $1,000 in cash – hidden in an egg, of course – for the golden egg that ing individual,” he’s now additional information. the Year and Civilian he found during the recent Humane Society’s Flashlight Easter Egg Hunt. Ritacco stated writing a memoir called Employee of the Year that they were headed to ‘do some damage over at Toys r’ Us’. “Things My Father Taught Free health care Officer Stephen Me – Lessons in Life.” screening Williams was named the Attendees will also hear Police Officer of the an update on the current AVON PARK — The Year. Shop in historic downtown “Flash Fiction Writing Oaks at Avon opens its “Williams was recog- Contest,” conducted by the doors to the community for nized by his peers for his According to an economic coffee table book “The One- Heartland Cultural Alliance a free health screening. Dr. outstanding character analysis, for every $100 Hundred Years of Sebring” and SNO. And time will be Goddard will be consulting qualities of compassion spent at a locally-owned and your hat, T-shirt, lapel devoted to an “Open from 2-3 p.m. Tuesday. and patience,” stated business, $45 goes back into pin, grocery tote bag, cup or Mike,” where other writers Dettman. the community and local tax bumper sticker, all sporting are allowed several min- ‘What’s Up Williams became a base, and for every $100 the official Centennial logo. utes to share their writings.