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Author Archives: Barry Friedman
Barry Friedman founded Lkldnow.com in 2015 as the culmination of a career in print and digital journalism. Since 1982, he has used the tools of reporting, editing and content curation to help people in Lakeland understand their community better.
Posted inSchools
Ex-Teacher Makes Mornings Fun at McKeel
Dax Gingras, a father with two young children, was a physical education teacher at McKeel Elementary Academy before he was diagnosed with an aggressive brain cancer. He’s no longer teaching, but all month he’s been making the mornings fun for students arriving at the school by greeting them in different costumes. Source: ABC Action News
Posted inNews Roundup
Read It in the Morning Paper
FSC: A ceremony in Dixieland Monday marked construction under way for Florida Southern College’s first academic building away from campus. The structure housing the college’s new Doctor of Physical Therapy program is expected to be finished next summer on property at 820 S. Florida Ave. that FSC bought from the Lakeland Association of Realtors for $1.1 […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Actors Defend Controversial Pre-Rocky Horror Skit
The actors who played President Trump and Hillary Clinton in a skit that included a mock assassination stood by their act several days after it sparked online controversy and an apology from the Polk Theatre (previous article.) The skit was part of the pre-show at Friday night’s Rocky Horror Picture Show Experience. Many thought the assassination […]
Posted inFood & Dining
Tsunami Sushi and Hibachi Opens Downtown
With two locations in Winter Haven, Tsunami added hibachi/teppanyaki cooking when it expanded to downtown Lakeland. A massive saltwater aquarium near the entrance doubles as a cocktail bar. The owners sit down with The Ledger’s Eric Pera for a QA. (They declined an interview request with a LkldNow correspondent prior to opening.) Source: The Ledger
Posted inPublic Safety
Tractor-Trailer Fire Near U.S. 98 Backs Up I-4 Westbound
Westbound traffic on I-4 was diverted onto State Road 33 after a tractor-trailer hauling sweet potatoes burst into flames just east of the U.S. 98 exit around 5:10 a.m. The driver, 62-year-old Steven Tillman of Orlando, discovered a mechanical issue and got out safely before the fire started. The traffic backup was complicated by a four-car […]
Posted inNews Roundup
Read It in the Morning Paper
RETIRING: “Pastor Mike” Louden led his final service at First Presbyterian Church of Lakeland Sunday before retiring this week after 47 years behind the pulpit. ALSO: Video from Sunday’s service SWANS: After conducting their yearly medical exams, veterinarian Patricia Mattson said Lakeland’s swans “overall … looked good.” A few of the older mute swans had […]
Posted inEvents
Lakeland Service Memorializes 11 Pittsburgh Hate Victims
Around 200 people gathered at Temple Emanuel in Lakeland this evening to remember the 11 people who were shot to death Saturday in a hate crime at a synagogue in Pittsburgh. Speakers included Sheriff Grady Judd, U.S. Rep. Dennis Ross and City Commissioner Scott Franklin. Temple Emanuel Rabbi David Goldstein, Chabad Jewish Center Rabbi Moshe […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Pre-Show Skit Draws Apology from Polk Theatre
An on-stage depiction of a presidential assassination on Friday night has drawn an apology from the Polk Theatre and a firestorm of Facebook controversy focused on prudence and taste vs. free expression and the use of art to provoke. People who attended said the skit showed a masked character stabbing President Trump. A Facebook post from […]
Posted inBusiness
Lakeland Cannabis-Tracking Company Raises $50M
Lakeland-based Metrc, whose RFID technology helps regulators in 11 states track the marijuana supply chain, has received $50 million in funding from Tiger Global Management and Snoop Dogg’s cannabis-focused Casa Verde Capital. LINKS: Metrc | parent company Franwell Inc. | Tiger Global Management | Casa Verde Capital | company background via Cannabis Business Executive Source: TechCrunch