For the most part, three kinds of people live in Highlands County: The recent newcomers, who laughed off Wednesday's cold weather, saying it "felt good." The Florida natives who bundled up and acted as if we were on the North Pole. And then there are many of us who have been here just enough years that we want to act like the cold was nothing, but were shivering to the bone, wondering at what point our blood finally thinned. ...more

January 4, 2008

SEBRING — Progress Energy linemen worked through the cold weather Thursday to restore electricity to pockets of residents throughout the county without electricity. ...more

January 4, 2008

An overnight freeze caused only minor damage to Florida's citrus crop, but some strawberry growers suffered significant losses, officials said Thursday. ...more

January 4, 2008

PREPARATION HELPS SAVE STRAWBERRIES Strawberry farms in the Tampa Bay area worked for days to pick as much fruit as possible before the cold front set in and industry experts estimate that overall crop losses were limited to 10 percent to 15 percent. That should not affect market pricing. ...more

January 4, 2008

Valuable Christmas Lessons Learned The day after Christmas, my girls and I decided to take their grandmother to the beautiful area of Tampa for a warm weather retreat. We enjoyed 80-degree weather and came back to a light dusting of snow in Chattanooga, Tenn., on our return Tuesday. The shock of the cold weather has kept me in my pajamas! Our time there was glorious except for one little mishap that taught me several invaluable lessons. ...more

January 3, 2008

PORT RICHEY - A water main break on U.S. 19 early this morning has prompted the city to issue a boil-water notice for municipal water customers who live north of the Westport subdivision, city officials said. ...more

January 3, 2008

SEBRING — Progress Energy linemen are working Thursday morning to restore electricity to pockets of residents throughout the county without electricity. Chad Demerre, lineman apprentice with Progress Energy, said small outages, affecting less than 200 customers, are common when the weather suddenly becomes cold. ...more

January 3, 2008