NEW COVID-19 CASES in Polk County totaled 932 over the last three days as the seven-day average of 315.9 cases per day reflects a wider spread than the July surge. The seven-day rolling positivity rate for Polk registered 10.5% last week. PANDEMIC RESPONSE: First-term Florida Sen. Brian Burgess of Zephyrhills, whose district includes northwest Polk, […]
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 inEvents
Sun ‘n Fun’s Holiday Festival Will Be an Annual Event
Sun ‘n Fun’s first Holiday Flying Festival and Car Show, held earlier this month, was successful enough that it will become an annual event along with the annual spring fly-in, General Aviation News reports. The festival raised around $100,000 for Sun ‘n Fun’s Aerospace Center for Excellence.
Posted inNews Roundup
Read It in the Morning Paper: Covid Clinic, Vaccines
COVID CLINIC: Watson Clinic internist Dr. Kathleen Haggerty is opening a clinic to treat patients suffering from long-term effects of COVID-19. | Clinic announcement VACCINES against COVID-19 are scheduled to be administered Tuesday to residents and staff at Florida Presbyterian Homes’ skilled nursing facility and Estates at Carpenters. BULLYING: A father is frustrated that Polk […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Winning Photos Reveal a Heart for Lakeland
Hannah Hallock had just left Starbucks when she was captivated by the colorful lights of the Southgate arch and their reflection in the parking lot’s puddles. She kneeled down, aligned her iPhone 11 Pro on the pavement, tilted it toward the arch and took the photo that would later win the top prize in LkldNow’s […]
Posted inPeople
Carolers Honor Memory of David and Edie Yates Henderson
Debra F. Jones has organized free concerts outside her Mississippi Avenue home since the pandemic began. Friday she directed Victorian-costumed Christmas carolers singing to honor the memories of David and Edie Yates Henderson, who lived around the corner on Lake Morton. Jones has known Edie Yates since they sang in a youth chorus together. Donations […]
Posted inNews Roundup
Read It in the Morning Paper
VACCINE: Lakeand Regional Health, hoping to receive its first batch of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines next week, is one of at least five Polk hospitals slated to receive the Moderna vaccine once it gets expected FDA approval. CHRISTMAS DINNERS will be available for dine-in and/or take-out from numerous Polk restaurants. Reporter Maya Lora compiled a list. […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Residents Clean Tornado Damage, Ponder Next Steps
Residents along Lake Gibson Shores Drive cleaned up Thursday after an EF-1 tornado hit their neighborhood around 5:15 p.m. Wednesday, spewing damage and destroying Scott Leavitt’s home. “You work your tail off all your life and it’s gone within a couple of seconds,” he told News Channel 8.MORE COVERAGE: 10 Tampa Bay | Fox 13 […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Live Music in Lakeland This Weekend
Musicians performing at local venues this weekend include John Frinzi, Annisette Mayer, Chasing Daylight, Jack Sprouse Paul Mazzarella, Joe’s Garage, George Morris & The Lariat Band, Raging Sun, Skip & Nancy Frye, and The Broke. Keep scrolling for times and places.
Posted inPublic Safety
Tornado Plunders Three Homes Near Lake Gibson
Tornadoes that skipped from Pinellas Park to northern Lakeland on Wednesday night damaged three homes off Daughtery Road north of Lake Gibson, leaving two uninhabitable, Fox 13 News reports. The occupants were unharmed, according to Polk Sheriff Grady Judd.THE LEDGER: Damage centered on Gibson Shores DriveABC ACTION NEWS: Video of the damage Source: Fox 13 […]
Posted inHousing
Polk Reopens Rent and Mortgage Assistance
With a new infusion of federal CARES Act money, the Polk County Commission has allocated $1 million to rent and mortgage assistance for people who lost income during the pandemic and have not received relief, News Channel 8 reports. Applications will be available starting Dec. 29 on the county website. | ALSO: Ledger coverage Source: […]