By Tiffanie Reynolds
Staff Writer

Even as the United States was reported as the worst industrialized country for infant deaths, recent efforts in Osceola County have started to see those numbers drop locally.

By Fallan Patterson
For the News-Gazette

Just in time for her 27th birthday and Mother’s Day, Shannon Franklin found her biological mother.

With few clues, particularly a sonogram where her biological mother’s name was barely visible through someone’s attempt to scratch it out with pen, Franklin, of St. Cloud, was hopeful someone would end her quest but never thought it would happen so quickly.

Firefighters with Kissimmee's Station 11 stand at attention as the funeral procession for Lt. Bill Manning passed by Tuesday afternoon.

By Ken Jackson

Staff Writer

Lt. William Arthur “Bill” Manning was “a firefighter’s firefighter,” and will be missed, Acting Kissimmee Fire Chief Jeremy Donovan said.

And not just by Kissimmee Fire Department Station 11, for which he served for nearly 12 years. That was made clear today by the appearance of two dozen other fire departments and rescue squads who sent representatives to honor him and his unit following his funeral service at the Silver Spurs Arena.

The city of Kissimmee Fire Department has announced arrangements for fallen firefighter Lt. William Manning.

By Tiffanie Reynolds
Staff Writer

Florida Hospital Kissimmee is growing with the community through the construction of a new emergency room wing, bringing 29 new beds, new technology and patient comforts.

The ground-breaking ceremony  to start construction occurred on Wednesday, with hospital administration, physicians and community leaders unearthing the first shovelfuls of dirt.

By Ken Jackson
Staff Writer

The Board of Osceola County Commissioners has approved a change in zoning designation of a 155-acre plot of land at Ralph Chisholm Regional Park in St. Cloud, in order to enable the construction of buildings and other structures needed for an equine research and rehabilitation program.