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Five Injured When I-4 Chase Ends in a Crash
Five people were injured late Thursday when their speeding Toyota Camry plowed into two tractor-trailers on Interstate 4 near the west Polk Parkway exit. The accident closed westbound lanes of I-4 into today’s morning commute times. Two men were injured when they were ejected from the Camry, which was...
Airport’s WACO Kitchen Closes Two Months Before Airline Flights Start
Lakeland Linder International Airport’s restaurant, WACO Kitchen, notified officials on Monday that they are temporarily but indefinitely closing, a move that comes two months before passenger service is scheduled to begin at the airport. The airport’s website and Facebook page posted a notice about the kitchen’s closure on Monday,...
Harrison Students Win Top Awards in Congressional Art Competition
Marina Barrientos-Allende, 17, a junior at Harrison School for the Arts, had tears in her eyes as she took photos with her parents and U.S. Rep. Scott Franklin, R-Lakeland, after winning the 2024 Congressional Art Competition at the Polk Museum of Art. “To me, it says a lot that resonates...
1,000-Gallon Wastewater Spill Likely Source of Stench in Carillon Lakes
For weeks or possibly months, an odd odor has been wafting through the Carillon Lakes neighborhood in southwest Lakeland, with some saying it smelled like a natural gas leak. On Monday, a Florida Department of Environmental Protection drone flew over the area and officials spotted the possible cause: a wastewater force main pipe break in a remote wetland about 1,500 feet northeast of 5001 Gateway Blvd. The swampy area borders the western edge of Carillon Lakes, a gated community with 650 townhomes and single-family homes, which start at $365,000.
Grieving Father and Teen Transplant Recipent Urge Lakeland Residents To Say ‘Yes’ to Organ Donation
At a City Commission meeting last week, Troy Wells stood up and held a teddy bear to a microphone to play a recording tucked inside the bear — the sound of the still-beating heart of his late 17-year-old son, Caleb, whose organs were donated on October 18, 2021, six days after he was shot in Lakeland.
Alain Douge Tapped to Lead Lakeland High School
A name familiar to northeast Lakeland students, parents and educators has been tapped to be Lakeland Senior High School’s next leader. Alain Douge, 45, has been appointed principal of LHS, effective this summer when current Principal Arthur Martinez retires. “I always thought that Lakeland could be in my future,”...
Third Animal Hoarding Case Since December Strains Polk Shelter
When Polk County Sheriff’s Office animal cruelty investigators arrived at the home of 66-year-old Catherine Briley in Highland City on Wednesday, they had to don respirator masks before walking inside because the stench of ammonia from the urine of 27 cats and one dog was dangerously high. They also...
Lakeland’s 3rd Annual ‘Book Crawl’ Begins Monday
Book lovers, take note: The third annual Lakeland Book Crawl starts Monday. The six-day celebration of local, independent bookstores highlights a different Lakeland shop each day from April 22-26, leading up to National Independent Bookstore Day on April 27. Seven bookstores are participating in the 2024 Lakeland Book Crawl, touted...
Polk County Students Triumph in State Academic Competition
For Juan Landaeta, 18, the Commissioner’s Academic Challenge in Orlando this month was a nail-biter. “Anyone watching the finals will know that it was a tight match — we were trailing in second place by a single point by the end of the second round,” said Landaeta, a senior at International Baccalaureate at Bartow High School who lives in Lakeland. “It was in the final round where we pulled far ahead of the competition.”
After 35 Years in Prison, Leo Schofield Will Be Paroled on April 30
After 35 years in prison for the 1987 stabbing death of his teenage wife in Lakeland, Leo Schofield Jr. will see freedom in 13 days. For years, Schofield’s release date had been set for June, 24, 2023, but during a parole hearing last May, the state’s three-member Commission on Offender Review agreed that he should spend a year in a transitional program before his parole would be considered. Schofield has successfully completed that program at the Everglades Re-Entry Center in Miami, according to comments during Wednesday’s hearing in Tallahassee, and the commission’s investigators have recommended that he be released.
City Commission Embraces Vision for Lakeland’s ‘Downtown West’
Lakeland’s City Commission voted unanimously on Monday to adopt the Community Redevelopment Agency’s Downtown West Action Plan — an ambitious outline of short- and long-term actions to nurture and uplift the area west of Florida Avenue, south of Memorial Boulevard, north of Lime Street and east of Lake Beulah Drive.
Florida Polytechnic Names New President
Northwest Florida State College’s loss is Florida Polytechnic University’s gain. G. Devin Stephenson, 71, NWFSC’s president, was chosen as Florida Poly’s new president, its board of trustees announced late Monday afternoon. His appointment and final contract require approval by the board of governors, which oversees Florida’s 12 public universities.
Lakeland Woman Played Important Role in Allies’ Victory Over Japan in WWII
In the winter of 1927, 6-year-old Ida Irene Fields wasn’t in school — instead, like most of her young classmates in Kathleen, she was weeding strawberry fields and picking the red fruit near the sharecropper’s home she lived in with her parents and younger siblings. “She didn’t...
Amonie Jo’s Coffee Shop Brings Island Flavors and Flair to Downtown Lakeland
A new family-owned coffee shop has opened in downtown Lakeland. Amonie Jo’s International Coffee & Delights began serving customers at 401 South Florida Avenue on March 25. Owner Patrice Williams, 35, said her shop — under the Curated Collective and across from Bank of America — is known for its organic coffee, friendly vibe and savory food offerings.
CSX Railcar and Locomotive Collide, Spilling 1,300 Gallons of Diesel Fuel in SW Lakeland
About 1,300 gallons of diesel fuel spilled at CSX’s Winston Railyard early Tuesday when a railcar and a locomotive collided. The spill happened along Wilkinson Road, about halfway between Old Tampa Highway and the Polk Parkway. A pollution notice filed with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection said the...
Severe Thunderstorm Forced Cancellation of Sun ‘n Fun’s Daytime Air Show on Thursday
A severe thunderstorm that moved over Polk County on Thursday may have been good for plants, but not for planes. The National Weather Service issued an alert at 1:15 p.m. Thursday warning that a line of storms was moving diagonally across the state in a northeasterly direction. The storm was...
‘Boxed by an Angel’ Hopes to Bring Comfort to Women Fighting Cancer
A Lakeland mom has started a business, “Boxed by an Angel,” to provide curated care packages to women fighting cancer. Cathy Angel, 48, a breast cancer survivor, held a soft launch for “Boxed by an Angel” in October when she and her husband Brad gifted ten boxes to women in need.
Lakeland Unveils Latest Designs for South Florida Avenue, But Struggle Looms Over $22 Million Cost
It has been four years since concrete barriers were installed along South Florida Avenue between Lime and Ariana streets, converting that mile from five too-narrow lanes to three standard-sized ones — to the dismay of many drivers. And it has been 16 months since Lakeland’s City Commission voted to...
Full Circle: Lakeland Native Who Grew Up Going to Sun ‘n Fun Will Fly in It This Week
This year’s 50th Sun ‘n Fun Fly-In will feature Lakeland native, Maj. Chad Smith, 40, who received his private pilot license at Lakeland Linder International Airport when he was just 17 years old. Smith is now stationed at Fairchild Air Force Base in the 92nd Air Refueling Wing,...
Polk County Schools Announce Precautions for Partial Solar Eclipse on Monday
Polk County Public Schools are taking extra precautions for the solar eclipse on Monday, moving outdoor activities inside and excusing the absences of any students who stay home. Our area will only get a partial eclipse — with the moon covering up to 57% of the sun around 3 p.m....
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