Re-christened Lakeland Symphony Looks to New Season, With Changes
In the wake of the chaos left by the Covid crisis, some nonprofit organizations emerged with new goals, names and plans. Polk County’s only professional orchestra is no exception.
After being known for more than 30 years as the Imperial Symphony Orchestra, it will enter the 2021-2022 season as the Lakeland Symphony Orchestra, the name it originally had when it was formed in 1965. But that’s only the start of changes in store. The orchestra will have a different home and day of the week for its major concerts, shorten its programs and hold multiple small concerts around the county. More
Polk Public Schools Trying to Fill 428 Jobs
With classes beginning next week, Polk public schools are trying to fill 428 jobs, The Ledger reports. Among them are 193 teaching positions; in most years there are around 130 teaching vacancies at this time, spokesman Jason Geary said. | MORE: Check vacancies
Covid Cases, Staff Shortages Force Day Care to Close
Learning Station Academy, a day-care center near the northern tip of Lake Gibson, has had to close. The center took in no revenue when it had to close briefly four times when somebody tested positive for COVID-19. In addition, it has been difficult keeping workers at a time when employers like Amazon were offering higher pay, Fox 13 News reports.
Hospital Hits Highest Number of Covid Patients as Polk Infections Soar
The last full week of July closes out with Polk County reporting its highest-ever number of new COVID-19 cases and Lakeland Regional Health filling more beds with Covid patients than ever before.
Polk County recorded 4,100 new infections for the week of July 23-29, according to the Florida Department of Health’s weekly report, which was released this evening. The previous high was 3,579 for the week of Jan. 10-16 at the height of the post-holiday surge. More
Watson Clinic’s Center for Long-Haul COVID-19 Patients Has a Six-Month Waiting List
Watson Clinic opened the first center for long-haul COVID-19 patients in Florida and it’s still one of the only ones, Orlando’s WKMG reports. The clinic takes a team approach, with physicians representing different specialties collaborating to discover potential solutions. Founder Dr. Kathleen Haggerty says the team spends a lot of time with each patient, and that’s one of the reasons there’s a six-month waiting list. More
LRH Nurses Say They’re Facing Burnout as Covid Surges
Nurses at Lakeland Regional Health tell News Channel 8 they are facing exhaustion as the number of COVID-19 patients increases rapidly and the hospital has had to start putting patients in overflow rooms again. The hospital is offering financial incentives to work extra shifts, the nurses say, and hospital officials are actively recruiting more nurses, seeking to add 150 as winter approaches. More
As Eviction Moratorium Ends, Renters Urged to Seek Assistance
With the federal eviction moratorium ending Saturday, local officials are urging renters who are behind on payments and were affected by COVID-19 to apply for assistance through a Polk County emergency fund; they can also seek help through United Way’s 2-1-1 phone line. Polk courts face a backlog of 765 eviction cases dating to January 2020, The Ledger reports. | MORE: Polk rental assistance
Health Leaders Seek to Overcome Racial Health Disparities
A few years ago, when Vivian Calloway had a life-threatening allergic reaction to something she ate, she was lucky to be at a church breakfast, surrounded by friends and medical professionals.
“We were all eating and all of a sudden, I could feel my body swelling up,” said the 64-year-old Lakeland resident. “I couldn’t swallow.” More
Silver Alert Canceled After Woman Reunites With Family
Lakeland police have canceled a Silver Alert that was issued this morning for Sherri Carpenter, 56, saying she has been located and is being reunited with her family. More
Nurses, Other Professionals Sought at LRH Hiring Fairs
To prepare for a winter patient influx and cope with rising Covid cases, Lakeland Regional Health is working to shore up its staff of nurses and other medical professionals via weekly Wednesday walk-in job fairs, ABC Action News reports. The hospital was treating 179 COVID-19 patients on Monday, up from the mid-30s at the start of July. | MORE: LRH Careers on Facebook More
Dale Snodgrass, Draken’s Chief Pilot, Dies in an Idaho Plane Crash
Dale “Snort” Snodgrass, chief pilot at Lakeland’s Draken International, died Saturday when the Italian-built SIAI Marchetti SM.1019 he was flying solo crashed and caught fire shortly after taking off from Lewiston-Nez Perce County Regional Airport in Idaho, The Aviationist reported. Snodgrass, 72, who retired as a captain after 26 years as a U.S. Navy pilot, was the original demonstration pilot for the F-14 Tomcat and flew more than 850 airshows during the last 20 years. | ALSO: A personal remembrance in The War Zone
Krispy Kreme Near Lakeland Square Replaces S. Florida Ave. Store
A Krispy Kreme donut shop opens Tuesday at 3790 U.S. 98 N. near Lakeland Square mall, replacing the south Lakeland store that closed in June. It’s the company’s fourth location using a larger design that lets customers view the doughnut-making process, The Ledger reports. (Subscribers-only story)
Polk Reports Its Fourth-Highest Level of New COVID-19 Cases
Polk County reported 2,514 new COVID-19 infections last week, five times the number reported for the last week in June and the fourth-highest weekly level since the state Department of Health started counting cases 16 months ago. More
West Pipkin Road Widening Starts Next Month
West Pipkin Road will be widened between South Florida Avenue and Medulla Road to meet the demands of growth in southwest Lakeland, The Ledger reports. The work by Hubbard Construction of Winter Park starts next month and is expected to take around two years. The cost to Polk County: $42 million, with $6 million coming from the city of Lakeland.
Couple Shares Their Journeys with ‘Spirits’ Gallery at Polk Museum
Dr. Alan “Rico” Rich points to his favorite object in the collection of African and Oceanic art that he and his wife, Linda, acquired over the years. It is an imposing 4-foot tall wooden figure, carved from a single piece of wood, painted and embellished with woven grass and shells, given to him by the chief of the Iatmul people of New Guinea. It represents the ancestors of the tribe, bearing both male and female characteristics, and its face is marked in a distinctive design that displays the tribal or family name. More
