HIGHLANDS NEWS-SUN Monday, September 9, 2019 VOL. 100 | NO. 252 | $1.00 YOUR HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1919 An Edition Of The Sun Cormier to speak at Blessing lunch Blessing of the Businesses lunch held Sept. 18 By PHIL ATTINGER On his insurance nor sports insurance agency, to help people, a desire He and Gina also have STAFF WRITER agency webpage — www. statistics Cormier Insurance cultivated at a young age worked to ensure each cormiergroup.com — sites talk Group. and carried through into child of the island has SEBRING — This year’s Cormier said he had much March 2008, he experi- his adult years. access to an education as Blessing of the Businesses an “insatiable love for about that enced another life-chang- Among his activities well as a meal each day to Annual Prayer Luncheon baseball,” a dream that he event. ing event that set him on was the Evangelism accompany the learning will hear from a local pursued all the way to the He a new life course. Explosion Prison ministry process. businessman who got minor leagues with the made his One life change, obvi- for 11 years, helping in- When not at work or on a start in another field: St. Louis Cardinals and CORMIER III way back ously, was his marriage carcerated men with their mission, Cormier is often baseball. Milwaukee Brewers. to Sebring to Gina Cormier, and walk and reintegration found at the baseball Richard Cormier III, Organizers for this and became a part of the later arrival of their back into society. fields with his son, either keynote speaker for the year’s event said that all his mother’s insurance two children, 8-year-old He participates with coaching his son’s teams Sept. 18 event, grew up changed with a life-al- office. Shortly after that, Richard IV and 4-year-old a local church mission or at his daughter’s dance in Sebring and graduated tering event on Jan. 23, he obtained his general Casiphia. team that has been build- classes. Sebring High School in 2006, although neither line insurance license and Cormier’s site states ing a church on the Island 2001. they, Cormier’s webpage started an independent that he holds a desire of Tortuga in Haiti. LUNCH | 2A Deputies seek Public invited to Stair Climb tips on three Event to AP cases commemorate Home invasion, fire crews robbery and shooting lost on 9/11 in a month By PHIL ATTINGER By PHIL ATTINGER STAFF WRITER STAFF WRITER SEBRING — New York firefighters AVON PARK — Three violent incidents started climbing 110 flights of stairs on in Southside Avon Park have Highlands Sept. 11, 2001, to reach fires high up in County sheriff’s deputies reaching out to the World Trade Center where planes the community for information. had crashed. In chronological order, deputies have They didn’t make it. The towers col- seen a daylight armed robbery, a mid- lapsed. Each year, however, firefighters night shooting and an early morning and other emergency responders host home invasion, all within a block or two “stair climb” events to commemorate of South Delaney Avenue and Hal McRae their sacrifice and to raise funds Boulevard in Avon Park. for the National Fallen Firefighter So far, no one has come forward Foundation. Sebring will hold such a COURTESY PHOTO/HIGHLANDS FIRE & EMS FOUNDATION with information, according to sheriff’s climb on Sept. 29. officials. Stairs up to the skyboxes at Sebring International Raceway, shown here, will fill in for the Highlands County Fire Rescue Chief World Trade Center, or at least provide a facsimile of the 110 flights of stairs usually set up for Home invasion Marc Bashoor said this is the first a National Fallen Firefighters Foundation Stair Climb, to commemorate those fire crews who The most recent incident occurred at even local stair climb. Sponsored by started climbing to the fires at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, and never made it. 1 a.m. Friday (Sept. 6) on Willie Hawk the Highlands Fire & EMS Foundation Avenue, off South Verona Avenue. and hosted at Sebring International Four men, with their faces concealed, Raceway, it is open to all who want barged into a home and held the resi- to participate — whether emergency dent at gunpoint, then shot and killed responders or not — to symbolically the family dog. complete the climb to the top of the They then fled on foot. WTC for firefighters who started the Sheriff’s officials said no witnesses climb in 2001. have come forward to say which di- All proceeds will go to the National rection the four men ran or give any Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF), indication as to who they were. Bashoor said. Shooting In the past, the NFFF worked to An innocent bystander got shot in supply the needs for families of the the back and had to be airlifted to an 343 firefighters lost at the World Trade area trauma center after a shooting at Center, as well as those who have died 12:30 a.m. Aug. 25, also in the area of Hal since then of 9/11 related illnesses. McRae Boulevard and South Delaney Now, they also deal with programs to Avenue. keep firefighters alive, such as making COURTESY PHOTO/HIGHLANDS FIRE & EMS FOUNDATION Both the shooter and the intended sure all firefighters have breathing gear The first 343 participants to sign up for the Highlands Fire & EMS Foundation’s inaugural target, neither of whom were positively to filter out noxious and poisonous identified, fled on foot. Highlands County & Sebring International Raceway Stair Climb will receive challenge coins fumes that afflicted those who worked like these, and a nametag, bearing the name and photograph of one of the 343 fire crew lost A vehicle driving in the area also got in “the pile” at Ground Zero. struck by a bullet. Nobody in the car was in the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. Symbolically, participants Of the 2,977 victims killed in the will complete their climb up the WTC stairs. hurt. Sept. 11 attacks, with 343 being Armed robbery firefighters, New York City also lost: • Eight emergency medical techni- more have died from related illnesses. At approximately 3 p.m. Aug. 9, a • 37 police officers of the Port cians and paramedics from private “We have a Superman complex,” Friday, two men got robbed at gun- Authority of New York and New Jersey emergency medical services. Bashoor said. “What 9/11 helped us point while sitting under a pavilion on Police Department. • One patrolman from the New York realize is that even Superman has TIPS | 2A • 23 police officers of the New York Fire Patrol. City Police Department. Since then, Bashoor said, 200 or CLIMB | 2A Duncan chosen as Man of the Year By ALLEN MOODY “I do like helping other one of my friends.” HIGHLANDS SUN EDITOR people,” Duncan said. Duncan moves between “I’m that type of person.” Highlander Sebring and Ohio during SEBRING — Tom Duncan was nominated the year, but doesn’t Duncan didn’t really for the award by Eugene Highlight have to worry about his believe he was going Roberts Sr., who was An occasional series mother — not with his to win the Highlands homeless when the two of highlighting the friend Roberts around. News-Sun Man of the them first met. winners of the 2018 “He takes care of the Year Highlander award. Duncan owns Sunshine Highlander Awards most important thing in After all, he isn’t necessar- Park and Roberts called my life now, he takes care ily a household name in him looking for a place innocent person. I told of my mom,” Duncan Highlands County, nor is to stay. him I was going to run said. “He takes my mom he one to seek attention. “He called me and to the doctor now. He a background check on KIM LEATHERMAN/STAFF But what Duncan does said I’m homeless and I him, but I’d give him a takes her to the grocery do is something that can’t have no money,” Duncan place to stay for the night. store. He’s part of the Tom Duncan, middle, was presented the 2018 Man of the Year be measured and that is said. “I showed up there I gave him some food and family and my mom loves Highlander award by Highlands News-Sun Executive Editor to make the world around and I talked to him and put him up in one of my MAN | 2A Romona Washington, left, and Don Elwell of Alan Jay Automo- him a better, kinder place. I could tell he was an homes and he became tive Network. Classifieds ......................B5-8 Obits .............................. A5 Good morning To Local Sports ...................... B1 Puzzles ................A7-8, B9-10 Viewpoints ....................... A6 Sol Moseley Lottery ........................... B2 TV Listings ....................... A9 Weather .........................A10 facebook.com/ twitter.com/ Thanks for reading! newssun.com newssun TheNewsSun A2 | HIGHLANDS NEWS-SUN | September 9, 2019 www.highlandsnewssun.com POLICE BLOTTER in the neighborhood, problems.” MAN TIPS said Scott Dressel, public Anyone with infor- FROM PAGE 1A FROM PAGE 1A information offi cer with mation is asked to call The following people 31, Lake Placid, on the Sheriff’s Offi ce, but 863-402-7250 or email him.” were arrested on felony charges of probation Shoreline Drive, aside detectives need help from detectives@highlandss- Duncan said Roberts is charges and booked into violation and failure to Lake Tulane. witnesses to be able to heriff.org. a kind person and people the Highlands County comply with sex offender They described the sus- make arrests.