KINDNESS: To combat bullying, Sleepy Hill Middle School Principal Kathryn Blackburn instituted “Kindness Day” at the school Thursday. The program found a variety of ways for the children to encourage kindness in each other and themselves.

FIRE: Coverage continued of the Lakeland file that claimed the life of Lorretta Pickard. A press conference with County Fire Chief Tony Stravino and Deputy County Manager Joe Halman was held Wednesday. | The Florida Fire Chiefs Association announced they will investigate whether Capt. James Williams properly handled the response to the Nov. 23 fire. | Polk County Fire Rescue released a series of photos from the fire.

SCHOOL BUS: To give Citrus Connection a chance to apply for state grants to serve two schools that serve profoundly disabled students, their board of directors asked Polk County Public Schools to wait until the 2020-2021 school year to eliminate school bus service to a dozen charter school campuses in the county. Citrus Connection Executive Director Tom Phillips also asked that some schools they serve start at a later time in order to utilize existing routes.

DOG SHOW: It’s “the best time you can have without a poop bag,” said Trent Rowe, the coordinator and vendor chair for this weekend’s Strawberry Cluster Dog Show at Lakeland Linder International Airport’s Sun ’n Fun area. Human admission is free, but it cost $5 to park a car. In addition to the usual dog show grooming competition, there will be retrieving, dock diving, hunting, and tests for handling stressful situations. (The dogs, not the handlers.) The show is Feb. 15 – 18, 8 a.m. to late afternoon each day.

FATAL FIRE: County commissioners want details about Polk County Fire Rescue’s response to a house fire on Rockridge Road that claimed the life of a 76-year-old disabled woman awaiting rescue. ALSO: Listen to audio and read a transcript of 28 minutes of radio communications or hear the 911 call.

CORRECTION: The morning paper published a corrected article about lead testing in Polk County schools. The paper noted: “The original version of this story incorrectly compiled information on Polk County Public Schools’ lead testing program. Initial results cleared 59 school sites — 35 sites have had their lead issues remediated, initial results for five other sites are not yet available and the district is awaiting follow-up results from the final 29 school sites, according to the district.” The article contains other corrections.

SPORTS: For the eighth season in a row, the Lakeland Christian girl’s soccer team will advance to the state Final Four tournament after winning the Class 1A, Region 3 final Tuesday night 3-0 against Boca Raton’s St. John Paul II. | Meanwhile, on Friday the Lakeland High School boy’s basketball team will face Bartow High in the Class 8A, District 7 boys basketball championship. The top-seeded Lakeland team defeated Winter Haven 72-50 in the semi-finals Tuesday night.

PAUL HUGHES: Norm Small, a noted Polk County theater director, admiringly profiles the career of Lakeland’s Paul Hughes, another noted Polk County theater director.

LPD: The Lakeland Police Department purchased 16 new cruisers ahead of schedule to get the cars before prices rise. LPD officials also expect most manufacturers will move to SUVs only for their police vehicle options.

PCFD: Relatives of a Lakeland woman who passed away in a November fire believe the Polk County Fire Department did not follow procedures and failed to save her. According to records, Loretta Pickard, 76, stayed on the phone 20 minutes while a 911 operator told her help was imminent. A News Channel 8 report alleged fire department records noted the home wasn’t engulfed in fames when firefighters arrived and they could have saved Pickard.
ALSO: Fox13 News provides a timeline.