News Update for 5/10/23

Members of the South Florida State College Board of Trustees will gather this morning to try again to find a replacement for outgoing school president Thomas Leitzel. The process was thrown into chaos earlier this month when all three of the candidates on a short list pulled their resumes for consideration for the post.
A new slate of finalists is expected to be approved at this morning’s meeting – with the subsequent establishement of a visitation and interview schedule for the hopefuls.
Leitzel is expected to step down next month.

It appears there will be big doings in Avon Park on Independence Day. Sherry and Shane Eason of Heartland Helping Hands recieved the blessing of the city council to stage the Inaugural Firecracker Festival at Donaldson Park on July Fourth.
The preliminary schedule would include games for the kids, food trucks and music. The highlight of the day would be the first ever Miss Firecracker Pageant. Details on that and other planned activities now are under consideration.

An illegal alien reportedly has been charged in connection with yesterday’s douuble fatal in Mullberry. A man identified as 24-year-old Elmer Bryah Giron-Canil, a Guatamalan citizen, has been charged with numerous counts in the mishap.
Canil is said to have been at the wheel of a sport utility vehile that hit a pickup truck on Highway 60.
Polk County Sheriff’s officials says four people in the SUV were ejected. One died at the scene. Another person died at Lakeland Regional.
The 18-year-old woman driving the pickup was injured. She’s a senior at Bartow High School.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd says she was on her way to school at the time. She and another person were air-lifted to Tampa General Hospital.
There’s no word on their conditions, but Judd says their injuries were serious. Four others are hospitalized at Lakeland Regional. Judd says there’s a possibility a third person may not survive.