Author Archives: Chuck Welch

READINGPALS: The United Way of Central Florida is looking for volunteers to give one hour a week reading to kindergarten students at Crystal Lake Elementary. Sixteen volunteers are needed immediately. Contact Sylvia Palmer at 863-648-1500, ext. 278, or email Sylvia.Palmer@uwcf.org LEAD: Polk County Public Schools has completed lead testing all schools in the district. 88 […]

GOW FIELDS was awarded the 2019 George Jenkins Award for community service from the Lakeland Chamber of Commerce. Fields spent 22 years as a Lakeland city commissioner and Mayor. ONE MORE CHILD, a program for single mothers, unveiled its 21st rehabbed Florida home for a Lakeland mother. The program includes job-skills training and mentoring for […]

CATALYST: The City of Lakeland development staff presented economic development ideas to the City Commission. The focus was on asking the commission to consider investing in certain projects to jump start downtown development. CHAMBER: The Lakeland Chamber of Commerce chairwoman, Michelle Ledford, was profiled in Tuesday’s paper of record. Ledford is a partner in Lakeland’s […]

BAND: Lakeland band leader and professor Roger Hewitt died last week at 87. Hewitt taught at Polk State College and led the Polk State College Jazz Band. He founded the Over 55 Show Band for local musicians in 1988 to bring area musicians together to play swing and jazz standards. The big band played regularly […]

IN WITH THE NEW: Lakeland City Commissioner Scott Franklin is asking city staff to revamp the budget process. Traditionally, a workday is spent with each department explaining its long and short term goals. Commissioners are then asked which goals the departments should pursue. This year, Franklin wants the day to put more focus on the […]

FIRST: The Lakeland Dreadnaughts cheerleading squad took home their first state championship with a win of the FHSAA Class 2A Large Non-Tumbling division. The team finished second last year in the Medium division. LAST: After close to 30 years working for Polk County, Jim Freeman is retiring in August. Freeman has been the county manager […]

REJECTED: Governor Ron DeSantis announced he was signing an executive order to remove “Common Core” standards from schools. He has not designated a new curriculum. Local officials expressed surprise and asked questions about how the order would affect Polk County schools. RATIFIED: More than two years after forming a union, Florida Polytechnic University’s faculty ratified […]

SCHOOL: Polk County School Board members Lisa Miller and Billy Townsend have questioned the motive for a staff proposal to do away with buses for charter schools. Rob Davis, the district’s head of transportation, said the elimination of the service would save money and get some other students to school on time. Miller and Townsend […]

LEGISLATION: Lakeland’s city commissioners and Mayor Bill Mutz met with area legislators to discuss Lakeland’s requests for the 2019 legislative sessions. The gist: don’t take money away or ask the city to pay for new initiatives. K-9: A Polk County Sheriff’s Officer shot dead a K-9 officer who was biting him. Master Deputy Scott Cronin […]