Durant
GOVERNMENT
Video: Lightning strike topples tree, rips off bark during Valrico storm
VALRICO, Fla. - A Valrico couple was stunned when their neighbor's tree toppled to the ground on Monday shortly after being struck by lightning. Dalton Rose said she was home with her husband when thunderstorms rolled through the area. She explained that her husband saw the lightning through the front...
THE UNSUNG CAREGIVERS IN CEMETERY OPERATIONS
THEY TAKE THE HEAT FOR YOUR FAMILY. They have never once gotten a thank you from any of the 26,000 people they care for on a bi-weekly basis. The seven staff in Cemetery Operations handles the maintenance and grounds keeping for four cemeteries, the Plant City Police Department pistol range, and the location of the old YMCA on East Cherry Street; and of course, digging, and grave site set up. To accomplish their work on the ground and under it, they have six stand-up mowers, three gators, one backhoe, and one dumper. In addition, this Department takes care of coordinating burials, sales of cemetery plots, and inquiries from people trying to find where ancestors are buried. “We have a lot with interaction with people,” said Superintendent Greg Novak.
Coming Soon to Downtown Lakeland: ‘Market on Kentucky’
There’s paper covering the windows of the former Taco Bus location on Kentucky Avenue right now. But in about a month, Frescos owner Tina Calhoon, 54, hopes to unveil a curated community market where up to 20 local purveyors can sell artisan food products. She and her husband Tim...
Tampa Bay experiences best June tourism collections in history with $5.4 million
Hillsborough County’s tourism industry just experienced its best June in history, setting records in both Tourist Development Tax (TDT) collections and taxable hotel revenue. TDT figures for the month, reflecting May collections, reached $5,400,066, while taxable hotel revenue soared to $90,046,768. Although summer typically draws fewer visitors to the Tampa Bay region, Santiago C. Corrada, President and CEO of Visit Tampa Bay, noted that this June’s exceptional performance is due to the area’s growing appeal as a premier destination for large-scale conventions and meetings.
Hillsborough commissioners should do the right thing on school tax | Letters
The two largest public service providers should be collaborating on what is best for the citizens of Hillsborough County. The county commission, by blindsiding the school district with its 4-3 vote to push putting the property tax referendum out another two years, is certainly taking an adversarial rather than collaborative position.
CITY COMMISSION APPROVES PUBLIC HEARINGS FOR NEW MILLAGE RATE
HEARINGS FOR TENTATIVE AND FINAL MILLAGE SET FOR SEPTEMBER. At 7:30 p.m. on July 22, Mayor Nate Kilton called the meeting to order. Also present were Vice-Mayor Jason Jones, City Commissioner Mary Mathis, City Attorney Kenneth Buchman, City Clerk Kerri Miller, and City Manager Bill McDaniel. Jeffrey Howell, Pastor of...
VA cancels debts for veterans related to pension overpayment error
LAKELAND, Fla. — The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is canceling pension debt incurred by thousands of low-income veterans after a data-matching error spanning a decade. It’s a major update to a story 10 Tampa Bay first reported back in November, when a local veteran received a letter from...
New Lakeland VA Clinic opens as Polk County's veteran population grows
LAKELAND, Fla. - For veterans living in Polk County, the only option to get to a VA hospital was to drive to Tampa or to Orlando, but now there's a closer option. James A Haley Veterans' Hospital hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new Lakeland VA Clinic, located at 2080 Meadowland Park Boulevard in south Lakeland.
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments. It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency: our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. We strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation. Join us in shaping the news narrative together.