News Update for 4/3/23
Hot on the heels of the latest fire at the Highlands County landfill, local officials are urging residents to learn how to properly dispose of lithium-ion batteries.
They say these little power sources are considered “Household Hazerdous Waste,” and should not be put in the regular trash. Instead, they should be disposed of separately like car batteries or boat batteries. That includes everything from cell phone batteries, to button batteries for hearing aids, remote controls and the like.
Officials say hang on to these batteries – then take them to either to a store that recycles them, or to the hazardous disposal site at the Highlands County Landfill.
You know you’re in Highlands County when EMS is called to assist a resident who’s fallen off a horse. It happened this past weekend in the scrub off Riverdale Road in the far northern reaches of the county. The patient was airlifted to the hospital – no word on what caused the accident or the condition of the victim.
Things continue to be dry in Highlands County – and that means more wildfires. Crews from Sun ‘N Lake South were called out over the weekend to put out a grass fire off CR 29. Authorities say they believe it was started after a tire came off a boat trailer that had a bad bearing.
Quick work by the responding units kept the flames from spreading into a nearby wooded area. Officials remind residents to be cautious with any combustibles, and outdoor burning is discouraged.
The first of three community receptions for South Florida State College presidential candidates will be held this afternoon.
Dr. Amy Bosley, currently the Vice President for Institutional Planning, Development and Chief of Staff at Valencia College will be at the Alan Wildstein Center for the Performing Arts on the Avon Park Campus at 4:00. There, she’ll meet with school officials, community leaders and interested residents.
Dr. Bosley is one of three candidates on the short list to replace current SFSC President Dr. Thomas Leitzel when he retires this coming June.
A woman was injured when a trip to McDonald’s turned violent in Polk County. Lakeland Police say the 28-year-old was shot yesterday morning outside a McDonald’s on Frontage Road. She was taken to the hospital and is in stable condition with serious injuries. Investigators say she was in the drive-thru lane, and Calvin Sousa, who was in the car behind her, became upset with the wait. He started honking his horn, and a man in the woman’s minivan got out and started fighting with Sousa. Eventually, the fight stopped and both men got back in their cars. Sousa, though, then allegedly shot at their minivan while leaving the parking lot. He was arrested in Highland City and charged with attempted murder.