Lake Wales
Education
Polk schools get $174M in impact fees from county. Most would to toward a new high school
Polk County commissioners approved the release of more than $115 million in educational impact fees on Tuesday for a new Poinciana area high school among other school projects to accommodate the county's growing student population. In all, educational impact fees of more than $174.2 million were released for the modernization and construction of additional capacity within the school system. The approval was by a unanimous decision of the County Commission. ...
'I'm excited about the pass game': Haines City holds off Kathleen's rally in scrimmage
Haines City head football coach Pat Herrington saw some positive aspects in a scrimmage Friday night at Kathleen High School. Kathleen head football coach Saul Speights also saw some aspects his team can build off. That’s what happens when a scrimmage comes down to one possession. But Kathleen ran out...
Bartow stuns Doral with another improbable 7th-inning rally in 6A softball state semis
CLERMONT — Bartow wasn’t just satisfied with breaking Doral Academy’s hearts with another come-from-behind victory for the second year in a row, this time the Yellow Jackets amped up the degree of difficulty. The Yellow Jackets trailed by three runs going into the bottom of the seventh...
'I love the effort': Auburndale showcases talent in spring football, wins 41-7 over Miners
FORTE MEADE — A year later with a brand-new head coach in Antonio Thomas made the Auburndale Bloodhounds look like a team that is on a mission Thursday night at Fort Meade High School. The Bloodhounds blew out the Miners 41-7 in a spring football game on a warm and muggy spring night. Thomas said his team still has to climb the hill despite clicking on all cylinders. ...
Mulberry High student gets a big surprise: a $40,000 BigFuture Scholarship
In a surprise presentation Thursday morning, a student at Mulberry High School learned that she has been selected to receive a $40,000 BigFuture Scholarship. Rosa Mosso, a junior, was called to the front of her class to discuss her plans for life beyond high school when she received the news, Polk County Public Schools said in a news release.
Auburndale 'trying to build a competitive culture' in first scrimmage under new coach
It’s been a myriad of thoughts for first-year Auburndale football coach Antonio Thomas. But none bigger than the elation of seeing his players go out and perform in the annual Blue vs. Gold game under his tutelage for a first time. In a game that featured starters on both...
The Class of 2024
They endured the COVID-19 pandemic during their freshman year, had to wear masks to school or attend online, saw library books removed from shelves their junior year and had some statewide testing restrictions lifted. They are the graduating class of 2024. And for Lakeland Senior High School, the last four...
Two Polk County students receive $2,500 National Merit Scholarships
Two students from Polk County are recipients of $2,500 National Merit Scholarships. The organization selected 2,500 designees from among more than 15,000 finalists in the National Merit Scholarship Program, according to a news release. The students were selected by a committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors, who...
Bartow's Driskell provides clutch hit as Oxley outduels Francik in regional final
BARTOW — Call it “Red Oxley vs. Jasmine Francik Part III: The End Game.” It was that rare third sequel that matched or perhaps even surpassed the original and rematch, the final matchup of their high school careers that more than lived up to the hype. Both Bartow’s ace and Melbourne’s ace were at their dominating best as expected, so the biggest drama of the game was which of their teammates would provide the game-winning heroics? ...
Bartow-Melbourne softball showdown is set as Polk County teams bow out of FHSAA playoffs
It’s now official: Red Oxley vs. Jasmine Francik is on. Melbourne, led by the Florida State-bound Francik, is returning to Bartow as the two teams will battle in the Class 6A, Region 3 softball final at 7:30 p.m. Friday in a matchup that was expected since the beginning of the season. Both teams used...
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. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.