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4 weeks ago | 
midfloridanewspapers.com | Romona Washington
Tallahassee is situated in Florida’s big bend of the panhandle, more than 300 miles away, or a good five-hour drive if you want to look at it that way. Yet to some Highlands County residents, it felt on Thursday that it was sitting in our own backyard; for others, it felt like the college town was half way across the world. The mass shooting on Florida State University’s campus was too close for many in Highlands County.
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1 month ago | 
midfloridanewspapers.com | Romona Washington
Many people know the name of Roy Gilbert as the compassionate and always available pharmacist who owned the popular Gilbert Drugs in Sebring. His son, Robert, remembers him as the man who seemingly overcame every attempt the Germans took to end his life during World War II, including a stay in a prisoner of war camp. Roy Gilbert leaned on his faith and his strength to not only return home from the war to his family, but also to survive four months as a prisoner of war.
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1 month ago | 
midfloridanewspapers.com | Romona Washington
Last May, I received a text from a friend asking me if I wanted to go watch the shuttle launch at Cape Canaveral. I jumped on the chance. I’ve lived in Florida almost 50 years and I had never seen one. It was a night launch but the late hour didn’t bother me. I figured it would make for a more spectacular show. Instead, we made the trip over and were just getting ready to park in the viewing lot when they announced the launch had been scrubbed. We would try again on June 1.
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2 months ago | 
midfloridanewspapers.com | Romona Washington
Like many others, I read the stories of the deaths of Gene Hackman, his wife and one of their pet dogs. My initial thought was carbon monoxide poisoning, but that was quickly ruled out. While we all patiently waited to learn the cause, I also found myself remembering a race at the Sebring International Raceway back in the late 1970s, or maybe it was the early 1980s, when I had an opportunity to meet the actor. He was an IMSA competitor and I was student, or maybe a recent high school graduate.
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Dec 10, 2024 | 
midfloridanewspapers.com | Romona Washington
Family and friends filled the seats Monday night at Donaldson Park as they waited for the holiday tunes to fill the air during the Avon Park Chamber of Commerce’s annual Christmas in the Park.
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Sep 22, 2024 | 
midfloridanewspapers.com | Romona Washington
While many were still tucked in bed early Saturday morning, a group gathered outside the Bert J. Harris Jr. Agricultural Center in Sebring to kickoff a whirlwind weekend. Ten military veterans, along with their guardians, were heading off on a Heartland Freedom Flight to Washington D.C. They will return early in the morning Monday, again while most people will be sound asleep.
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Sep 21, 2024 | 
midfloridanewspapers.com | Romona Washington
By ROMONA WASHINGTONExecutive EditorWhether it is a call for a trauma alert or a call for help from someone who has fallen and needs assistance getting up, Jay Peralta has served Highlands County’s residents as a paramedic for more than 20 years. He was presented last month with the Highlands News-Sun’s 2024 Highlander Award for Paramedic of the Year. Working long 24-hour day shifts is not difficult for Peralta. Hard work is in genes.
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Sep 20, 2024 | 
midfloridanewspapers.com | Romona Washington
By ROMONA WASHINGTONExecutive EditorShea Young didn’t intend to become an emergency room nurse. He was a biology major with every intent of going into physical therapy. Then he found out he was going to be a dad and his course in life took a couple of different routes. He was prepared to apply for school when he got the news he was going to become a dad.
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Sep 20, 2024 | 
midfloridanewspapers.com | Romona Washington
STAFF ReportsPeople throughout Highlands County knew Dr. David Owen well. Old-timers will remember the beautiful display of Christmas lights and decorations that he shared during the holidays with anyone who drove by the family’s Sebring home. Residents in Avon Park knew the local dentist and may remember his involvement in the Avon Park Chamber of Commerce. Well, the beloved Dr. David Owen has been gone for many years, but his son, Dr. Ron Owen, continues to keep the family name in dentistry.
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Aug 22, 2024 | 
midfloridanewspapers.com | Romona Washington
By ROMONA WASHINGTONStaffAVON PARK — Don Serdynski loved the great outdoors and any adventure that came his way. A private pilot and an Air Force veteran, he was a long-time citrus grower. He and his wife loved camping and accomplished the goal of camping in all 50 states apart from Hawaii. Then in July 2020, he was taken to the hospital with flu-like symptoms as he struggled to breathe. Because of COVID-19 restrictions, he was alone when he left his home.
