HIGHLANDS NEWS-SUN Monday, December 9, 2019 VOL. 100 | NO. 343 | $1.00 YOUR HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1919 An Edition Of The Sun AP Wylde Building rebuild unfeasible Demolition recommended for 1921-built structure By MARC VALERO good to go with moving suitable for rebuilding, he west have complained STAFF WRITER forward with the build- said. that pests have been ing following the legal The City acquired the coming from the building AVON PARK — As legal challenges. building due to the un- so it is a problem for all matters are finalized with There were code paid code fines, which led the neighbors in the area the Wylde Building, the enforcement related liens to a lien on the structure. as well. City Council will consider on the property that were The facade on the The City had a bid moving forward with higher than what the building had issues with about two or three years having the Main Street property was worth and blocks and tiles falling ago of around $70,000 COURTESY PHOTO structure demolished. a county building official off the building, which for the demolition of the Mayor Garrett deemed that the building was a safety concern, structure, he said. There An engineer reports the Wylde Building in Avon Park would Anderson said Friday should be torn down and Anderson said. The require an almost complete rebuild to meet the current Florida that the City should be would probably not be property owners to the WYLDE | 2A Building Code. Gingerbread men and letters to Santa PHIL ATTINGER/STAFF Giovanni Garcia of Sebring cradles his son, Ezekiel, at 2 months old, while the boy’s mother, Isamar Loraine Gonzalez, caresses Ezekiel’s head. She was pregnant with Ezekiel when a drunk driver hit the couple’s car on Nov. 9, 2015, seriously injuring mother and baby. Civil suit to start for 4-year-old Ezekiel’s injuries DUI-convicted driver maintains innocence of unborn child injuries PHIL ATTINGER/STAFF By PHIL ATTINGER Kellieanne Carrozza helps her 5-year-old son Paxton, at left, and her 2-year-old nephew, Grady Mercer, to compose letters to Santa Claus at STAFF WRITER Saturday’s Cookiefest at the Highlands Art League. SEBRING — At 2 months old, Ezekiel Garcia slept, yawned, fessed, smiled, CookieFest gives holiday craft day to youngsters cried and need diaper changes, but he had to eat through a feeding tube. By PHIL ATTINGER Popsicle-stick snowflake Now 4 years old, he still eats primarily STAFF WRITER ornaments. through a feeding tube and takes mul- Meanwhile, Kellieanne tiple medications at all hours to try and SEBRING — Kids spent Carrozza helped her son, control his daily convulsions, after a Saturday morning dress- 5-year-old Paxton, and drunk driver hit his parents’ car before he ing up gingerbread men, nephew, 2-year-old Grady was born. pasting up snowflakes and Mercer, compose letters to A civil suit is about to start against writing letters to Santa. Santa. 49-year-old Ricardo Espildora, who was The celebration came The Art League had a little convicted in March 2017 of DUI causing courtesy of the Highlands mailbox for the letter, which serious bodily injury, and two counts of Art League, which hosted its Elliott Cheng, 2, made good DUI causing property and/or personal seventh annual “Cookiefest” use of, while his sister, damage. in partnership with The 6-year-old Elly, make her Ezekiel was born prematurely by emer- Palms of Sebring. It gave own snowflake alongside gency Cesarean section after his mother, children and their parents Jamie Danzer. Isamar Loraine Gonzalez, was severely a chance to add a bit more Jennie Cheng, Elliott and injured. She healed from her injuries, for PHIL ATTINGER/STAFF holiday spirit. Elly’s mom, was surprised the most part. Ezekiel, in addition to hav- Yarelly Hernandez and to find out the hour where ing baby formula and water fed directly From left, Chef Mac Gentleman III shows off the cookies baked for Saimary Muñiz, both the Art League hosts to his intestines, still suffers seizures the seventh annual Highlands Art League Cookiefest, along with his Sebring Middle School Cookiefest each year was son, Mac Gentleman IV, and Sebring Middle School 8th-graders Abi 8th graders, helped SUIT | 2A Marrero and Lauren Anzueto. children build and glue COOKIE | 2A Santa circles Sebring Christmas parade brings big crowd, music, candy By PHIL ATTINGER STAFF WRITER SEBRING — Santa and Mrs. Claus arrived in downtown Sebring Friday night in a flurry of snow- flakes and to the cheers of scores of children. Sebring’s 2019 Christmas Parade had music, dogs, clowns, motorcycles, music again, PHIL ATTINGER/STAFF candy for the kids and amusement for all. Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive in downtown Sebring via Jeep- It started even before it drawn open sleigh in a flurry of snow. Santa has one more town PHIL ATTINGER/STAFF started as local guitarist to visit in Highlands County: Lake Placid on Dec. 14. AdventHealth’s Christmas train brings cheer to the crowd early on in Friday’s Sebring Christmas Steve Jones, rollerblading Parade. down the route in a light- guitar with him, such as many spectators donned Ontario, Canada. by volunteers. ed suit, played hard rock 11-year-old Courtney flashing-light necklaces, The route took vehicles, Dogs were a big part Jess Watts, sharing the versions of Christmas car- Jones, and 12-year-olds like those worn by Paddy floats, riders and march- of the parade this year, walk with “Susie Q” said ols on an electric guitar Lacey Sulitka and Jaylin Collins and Richard ers south from Sebring including those from the the 4-year old bulldog and portable amplifier. Baker. Sunley, winter residents Humane Society, walked loved the exercise. Youngsters played air While they waited, from Peterborough in SANTA | 4A Classifieds ......................B5-9 Obituaries ........................ A5 Good morning To Local Sports ...................... B1 Puzzles ................A7-8, B9-10 Viewpoints ....................... A6 Marilyn Conroy Lottery ........................... B2 TV Listings ....................... A9 Weather .........................A10 facebook.com/ twitter.com/ Thanks for reading! newssun.com newssun TheNewsSun A2 | HIGHLANDS NEWS-SUN | December 9, 2019 www.highlandsnewssun.com and adjustment she must his wife to Highlands parents cared for the 5 THINGS SUIT make for Ezekiel. Regional Medical Center child together, but they That Will Make You FROM PAGE 1A “She looks like an because she was having eventually separated. SMARTER air traffi c controller,” stomach pains. Highlands County every day. Oliveros said. “That is a The hospital told them Sheriff’s deputies arrested 1. The Hebrew word sufganiyot (jelly dough- He must take medi- normal day.” that the baby was fi ne, Espildora the night of the Hanukkah means dedi- nuts), kugel (noodle or cation for those attacks Gonzalez calls herself and they headed home. wreck. He was charged on cation, and the holiday potato casserole) and through a tube directly “a nurse without certifi ca- As they drove north Nov. 12, 2015, with driv- is colloquially called the gelt (chocolate coins). into his stomach. tion,” a phrase nurses in on Sebring Parkway, ing under the infl uence Festival of Lights. But 4. Because the holiday Magnetic resonance intensive care wards have returning to Bradbury — fi rst offense — and two you’ve probably seen the is based on the Hebrew imaging of his brain does given her after watching Apartments, an oncoming counts each of DUI with word spelled a variety of calendar, there’s no set not show much activity, her care for her son on car’s high-beam lights bodily injury and DUI ways, from Hanukkah to Gregorian date range his mother said. his many visits. blinded them as they with property damage. Hannuka to Chanukah. for Hanukkah. While it “His MRIs are worse “They say I have to go neared Youth Care Lane. At his arraignment on Because the word is always starts on the 25th since the NICU [neonatal into nursing,” Gonzalez By the time he realized Jan. 14, 2016, he entered a transliterated from day of the Hebrew month intensive care unit],” said, and she admits it the truck was in his lane, plea of “not guilty.” Hebrew, there’s not an Kislev, that date can Gonzalez said. “He would be good if she Garcia made a last-sec- Later, the State exact English equivalent correspond to anywhere cannot sit up.” could. ond effort to swerve left, Attorney’s Offi ce dropped for the sounds made by from late November to Ezekiel either lies down How does she get but the truck hit where one count of DUI with the Hebrew characters. late December. in the reclining wheel- through it all? Ezekiel’s his wife was sitting. serious bodily injury. 2. During the eight 5. The Torah makes no chair or in her arms, his smile, she said. She remembers black- Espildora was found nights of Hanukkah, mention of Hanukkah, mother said. “He smiles through ing out, sliding in and guilty by a jury in March Jews light a candle to and the Jewish religion He doesn’t talk, she everything,” Gonzalez out of consciousness. 2017 and sentenced in pay tribute to a miracle places much more said. said. She saw an ambulance June 2017 to 10 years in that occurred back in 165 importance on holidays “Doctors think he It doesn’t matter if its a and an anesthesiologist prison on his DUI case. BCE. The Maccabees, such as Passover and can see,” Gonzalez said, 20-minute seizure. before waking up in He doesn’t have any an army of Jewish Rosh Hashanah. But because he smiles. “He just catches his Winnie Palmer Hospital income and never had rebels, conquered the because Hanukkah usu- He reacts to her voice, breath, and he smiles,” in Orlando, her pelvis insurance to cover injury Syrian-Greeks, who had ally occurs in December, her mother’s voice and Gonzalez said.