Delores Lancaster wiped away a tear as she looked at the full trunk of food before her. The Leesburg resident was overwhelmed with relief by the thought that she would have more than enough food for the week.

Any aspiring athlete today can choose between two paths to potentially get a college scholarship or make millions tomorrow.

Confidence in travel increased dramatically this summer with the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines, and pent-up desire for vacations became even more obvious.

Florida high school students will have a new class to take this fall. Each of them must complete CPR training to graduate, Gov. Ron DeSantis has ordered 18 months after the Daily Sun called on him to do so. Florida now joins all but nine states in this requirement, a move the newspaper pushed for hard in its 18-month investigation into cardiac save rates and ongoing reporting on the issue. Experts say that every second counts in a cardiac event since a patient will typically lose brain function within four minutes. For every one minute delay in starting CPR, the chance of survival decr…

Larry Ducat doesn’t have any secrets.

Even against the backdrop of major calamities,  Sumter County’s financial health has long fueled Florida’s economic engine — a legacy that rests in the hands of county commissioners as they head into budget season.

For several Villages residents who may have grown up with adoptive parents, Father’s Day has taken on a whole new meaning thanks to genealogical discoveries. “On Father’s Day, I remember my dad who raised me and loved me dearly,” said Cynthia Fellows White, a member of The Villages Genealogical Society. “But I also have this wonderful biological father. I did think about him (last year). Wow, I don’t think my life would have been any better if I had been raised by him, but I guess I wish I could have met him.”

When Walt Disney announced plans to build a theme park in Florida, Disney fan Rich Harinsky knew he had to go there. And he didn’t wait long. He visited the Magic Kingdom in its opening week. Wandering through its six themed lands that revolve around the towering Cinderella Castle was unlike anything in any place he visited before or after it. “You ever see a kid in a candy store?” asked Harinsky, of the Village of Silver Lake, explaining his reaction to visiting Disney World for the first time. “Your eyes are wide open, trying to get everything done, trying to fit in all the rides and…

After four years of hard work and dedication, seniors from The Villages High School finally had their moment in the sun Saturday at The H.G. Morse Range. The ceremony started with “Pomp and Circumstance” played by the VHS band as the procession of graduating students marched along the track toward the central podium and seats. Isaac Cree and Johnathan Ballou, the valedictorian and salutatorian of the senior class, led their classmates following administration and academy instructors. The home and visitor grandstands were filled with family and friends of the graduating class, and immed…

While the 2020-21 school year began with a murky path, The Villages Charter School aimed to make it a year of choices. There were three options that students had this year for learning, according to Merideth Brock, school counselor at The Villages High School. Starting their senior year in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s graduates talked through a tough decision with their families and each other to determine the best option for them, Brock said. Even outside the learning experience itself, students were faced with difficult decisions about how involved they could be i…