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Features

  •
    Fairy tales can come true

      Cozy lantern light, glittery pumpkins and fall leaves - a setting fit for a princess.

    A setting for a princess who did some "shopping" in Cinderella's Closet.

    No mice or lizards or stagecoach pumpkins, but there was plenty of satin and lace, pearls and even fairy godmothers for Sarah Vorobok and other brides who spent some time browsing and selecting in the closet. And for the dozens of young high school teens who selected their prom dress and accessories.

  •
    Health department conducting second...

      In Florida and throughout the U.S., flu activity is on the rise. In Sumter County we are currently seeing an increase in flu activity.

  •
    One sweet business

    Some might say that Lake Panasoffkee retiree Scott Irving is “busy as a bee” these days, but, mostly, it’s the bees keeping him busy.

    For an almost 72-year-old retired automotive mechanic, Irving has gotten himself into a sometimes sticky situation – honey, thousands of pounds and dozens upon dozens of jars of honey. It’s all part of his Riverview Apiaries honey business.

  •
    In Focus: Mary Virga

     Just over three years ago, Mary Virga moved to Louisville Ky. from Oxford.

    She had spent decades living in Sumter County and 23 years working for the Sumter County Sheriff's Office.

    "She started out as my secretary," but pursued and obtained certification in law enforcement, said retired Sumter County Sheriff Jamie Adams.

    "She was a great lady. She was very instrumental in helping me get elected," he said.

    Virga, 81, died Saturday, Dec. 23, 2017.

  •
    Christmas on the Florida Frontier

     DADE BATTLEFIELD HISTORIC STATE PARK

  •
    Go Day

    One day last month, a group of men were in the bank parking lot, changing the oil in cars. Strangers were approaching customers at Bushnell laundromats and ... offering them free quarters.

    There were strangers in the park too, cooking up hamburgers and hot dogs and inviting everyone to lunch - for free.

  •
    Go Day

    One day last month, a group of men were in the bank parking lot, changing the oil in cars. Strangers were approaching customers at Bushnell laundromats and ... offering them free quarters.

    There were strangers in the park too, cooking up hamburgers and hot dogs and inviting everyone to lunch - for free.

  •
    Grace Notes - Grace for the Broken

    By Nancy Kennedy

     

    When I was about 2 years old, I bopped my baby brother with a wooden hammer and once put a wad of gum in my sister’s hair.
    I was part of a group of kids who called a girl in our neighborhood “fungus face,” and in eighth grade I spread vicious rumors about a girl who I thought stole my boyfriend.

    Once I shoplifted a bottle of Compound W wart remover and a Yardley Lip Slicker lipstick from Thrifty Drug Store. 

  •
    A quiet hero

    "I want the city to know they've got this hero living here," said Donna Muller of Bushnell.

    "I'm not a hero," responded her husband, Wayne.

    The simple fact that even co-workers had no idea of Muller's background attests to the fact that Muller doesn't think what he did was worth mentioning. 

  •
    Dancing with local stars

    “This was a lot of work, but an amazing experience!  It is always an honor to be a part of something that gives back to the community, especially when the focus is on education,” said local resident and LassiterWare CEO Doug Childers of his participation in the July Stepping Out for Education dance competition.

  • Pecan and apple fundraiser

    Access the link for the apples and pecans fundraiser ...

  •
    Grace Notes - Shining a light on...

    When my oldest daughter was 4 or 5 we were riding with my mom and Alison blurted out, “Grandma, want to know a family secret?” I sat in the passenger seat frozen, not sure what my daughter was about to say.

  • Grace Notes - for spring

     Wonder can lead to worship

        Nancy Kennedy

       

        If you don't count people or God, or maybe cake with buttercream icing, I think what I love most in life is wonder.

        I love the sense of surprise mixed with curiosity, of awe and bewilderment and delight -- all rolled into one emotion.

  •
    Grace Notes - Nancy Kennedy

    Grace has an eternal benefit

      If you can love someone you've only known one hour, then I love Berniece Robertson with all my heart.

    She called the newsroom early one Tuesday morning about a week ago from the hospital. She was dying, and it was her last day in our area. Her son had come from Missouri to take her to his farm to live out her remaining days.

  • BOO Scary!

    What’s worse than a bloody, demented clown on a tricycle?  How about more bloody, demented clowns with chain saws – real chainsaws!

    Just ask any of the visitors who were brave enough to venture into the Hinton Haunted House last weekend.  Many of them can likely tell you.

    Visitors to the Hinton family’s house of spooky, gruesome frights will likely remember their trip for a long time.  

  •
    Bushnell celebrates Fall Festival

    The venue change for Bushnell’s Fall Festival seemed to bring big success for many of the vendors and some added family-friendly bonuses for the community, according to event coordinator Ruby Mark.
    “There was lots of shade, lots of places for families to get together and picnic and lots of places for kids to play,” she said of the benefits.
    And while not all vendors had their best sales, some of them said they had more sales than ever at this year’s festival.

  •
    Earth's Impenetrable Shield

    By Alex H. Kasprak

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration

    Sure, the sun is great. It’s nice to not live in a frozen wasteland, after all. But the sun is pretty terrifying, too. It sends a dangerous stream of fast-moving electrons, protons, and other even smaller particles, called photons, toward Earth.

  •
    The Sun's Supersized...

    By Alex H. Kasprak

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration

    Like Earth, the sun has an atmosphere with layers in it. The outermost layer is called the corona and it’s awild mess of activity. Scientists have long known about the corona. It is home to some spectacular shows—giant eruptions called Coronal Mass Ejections, loops, prominences and massive magnetic storms.

  • Memorial bricks available

    Sumter County Veterans Services announces the latest group of bricks has been installed in the Veterans’ Memorial park located on the west side of the Historic Courthouse in Bushnell. This park serves as a tribute to the men and women who courageously served our Country.

  • What’s wrong with this cake?

    By Diane K. Fisher

    NASA Space Place

     

    How do astronauts on the International Space Station celebrate their birthdays? They could have a cake, if it were “glued” to the plate with frosting and the plate stuck to the table so it wouldn’t float off. But what about birthday candles? Would a candle even burn in space? Would it look any different from a candle flame on Earth?