News Update for 3/10/23
Highlands County is one of the top five locations in Florida where social security goes the farthest. At least that’s what a new report from SmartAsset has found.
Highlands ranks number five in the Sunshine State for the ability to stretch Social Security payments. Survey officials say they looked at the average Social Security income for residents in each Florida county. They then calculated how far it would go cover the basic necessities, such as food, housing and transportation.
Sumter, Baker, St. Johns and Indian River counties were the top four on the Florida list.
Early voting ends today for the Sebring municipal election and the turnout has been, well, puny. Of the 6,542 registered voters in the City on the Circle- so far only 317 have cast their ballots.
That’s 4.85-percent of the electorate.
Five candidates are in the running for three seats. Hopefuls include incumbents Tom Dettman and Lenard Carlisle as well as challengers Harrison Havery, Bobbie Smith-Powell and Josh Stewart.
Election day will be next Tuesday.
Cars, trucks, vans and motorhomes continue to pile in to the pre-race staging area at the Sebring International Raceway in anticipation of this year’s Mobil One 12 Hours of Sebring.
Loading in of Motorhomes with reserved parking spaces and all proper credentials will be allowed in this weekend. Gates will open to the fans on Tuesday.
Track officials remind those coming to this year’s race NO tickets will be sold at the front gate. To speed the entry process, Gate One will be only for those with tickets. Those wishing to purchace tickets will be directed to Gate 3 to purchase their passes.
The Sebring International Raceway is the home of firsts. For the first time, members of the Hypercar class of racers will be on track as part of this year’s World Endurance Championship Prolouge at the raceway. Cars from Cadillac, Ferrari, Glickenhaus, Peugeot, Toyota and Vanwall will share the 3.72 mile course.
Sessions are set for morning and afternoon both Saturday and Sunday at the Sebring International Raceway. They will be in competition next Friday as the WEC 1000 takes to the track at Sebring.
A Frostproof man was killed yesterday in a traffic accident just outside the Friendly City. Polk County Sheriff’s officials say 51-year-old David LeBlanc was northbound on Highway 27, when his Chevy van slammed into the back of a semi tractor-trailer rig that had slowed to turn into a business just north of the Highway 98 intersection.
No charges have been filed.
Some details are out on a deadly plane crash in Polk County. Four people were killed when two planes collided, mid-air, in Winter Haven over Lake Hartridge on Tuesday. An NTSB investigator said yesterday the planes hit nose-to-nose even though each pilot made moves to avoid the collision. The investigator also says one pilot communicated their location, but it’s not clear if the other pilot heard it. Neither plane had radar or any kind of avoidance system. Also, both planes have been pulled from the lake, but one plane is missing a wing.