Local News 5-31-24
A burn ban is now pretty well universal around our neck of the woods – yesterday, Glades County joined Highlands and Hardee County is banning any open fires without a state permit. It’s dry – the State Patrol is still issuing traffic advisories for that blaze near Bowling Green they got under control the other day, and yesterday a fire popped up north of Tampa that generated enough smoke to look like a good sized rainstorm on weather radar. It wasn’t.
Florida State Troopers are still looking into a crash with injuries on Highway 27 South between Sebring and Avon Park yesterday afternoon, near the Huston Auto dealerships. The wreck took place about 3pm, and tied up southbound traffic for an hour or so.
Just in case you thought Sebring’s Downtown Circle had finished changing appearances now that the TV crews are out of town, think again. It’s coming up on time for the city to talk about replacing some of the trees on the sidewalks around the Circle. Pretty as they are, when they get past 15 or 20 years old, the root systems begin to affect the sidewalks and power. So, if you see some being pulled out, there’s a reason. And they aren’t going away without a replacement in mind.
Lots of ways for you to help make the world a better place this weekend. Among them, the Rotary Club of Sebring’s 33rd Charity Golf Tournament. That’s at Sun N Lake of Sebring, tomorrow morning beginning at 8am. At last report, the club had one foursome and a few openings for singles left to make the event a full sellout. Also, tomorrow night at the Sebring Elks Lodge, the Childrens’ Museum of The Highlands has a Casino Night fundraiser. Funny Money, Fun Games and Fun Prizes – and it supports the Childrens’ Museum. Tickets at the Museum on North Ridgewood, Eventbrite or a limited number at the door.
An annual Florida curiosity is officially on the calendar – the state’s annual python hunt in the Everglades will run Aug. 9-18. Burmese Pythons are an invasive species that pose a threat to wildlife in the Everglades. Burmese pythons are nonvenomous, but they’re BIG. Adult snakes caught in Florida average between 6 feet and 9 feet, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The largest captured in Florida was more than 18 feet.