Lakeland city commissioners today discussed the hot-button issue of police body cameras and concluded that they want to hear from other Florida cities about their experiences with the devices.
Author Archives: Julie Butterfield
Posted inBusiness
Entrepreneurs Plan Cigar Theme for Long-Vacant Gore Building
Local entrepreneurs are planning to buy the long-vacant, 95-year-old Gore Building at 238 N. Massachusetts Ave. and restore it, likely with offices, residences and a restaurant. The structure would take on a cigar theme and a new name — the Eli Witt Cigar Co. — as a nod to its history.
Posted inActivism
PEACE Shares Updates on Housing, Criminal Justice Reform
Adults should have the same opportunities as kids when it comes to criminal justice. That’s according to the Rev. Melissa Stump, who spoke Tuesday night at the 21st annual rally of PEACE, a coalition of Polk churches who unite around social action.
Posted inArts & Culture
Polk Museum’s Alex Rich on the Power of Art (High and Low)
As the executive director and chief curator at Polk Museum of Art at Florida Southern College, Dr. H. Alexander Rich’s professional life rose another rung on Feb. 8. He was named the George and Dorothy Forsythe Endowed Chair in Art History and Museum Studies at Florida Southern. The academic title, supported by the George C. Forsythe Family Foundation, sponsors Rich’s dual […]
Posted inPolitics
Four Candidates Running in April City Commission Election
Four candidates — a photography manager, a construction company owner, a construction manager, and an educator — are competing in an April 6 special election for a short-term seat on the Lakeland City Commission.
Posted inSocial Services
Grant Propels Gospel Inc. Toward Its Vision of a Tiny-House Village for the Homeless
Gospel Inc.’s purchase of a mobile home park near downtown Lakeland, funded by the federal CARES Act, is the first step in its long-term plans for Gospel Town, a housing and work complex for former transients, according to founder and Director Brian Seeley.
Posted inSocial Services
Covid Grants Helping 3 Local Social Service Agencies Expand
Three Lakeland social-service organizations — Gospel Inc., Talbot House Ministries and Peace River Center — are readying for facility improvements afforded by COVID-19 grants.
Posted inPeople
Lakeland Fire Chief Doug Riley Wins State Award
At a Florida Fire Chiefs Association board meeting last month, Lakeland Fire Chief Douglas Riley asked if he could be the one to deliver the Fire Chief of the Year award to the next winner. What he didn’t know at the time was that he would be the one selected as 2020 Florida Fire Chief […]
Posted inBusiness
Lakeland Checkers Chosen to Test New Design
The Checkers restaurant on South Florida Avenue will be the test site for a new design for the 595-location chain that upgrades the kitchen and exterior and adds outdoor seating.
Posted inArts & Culture
Dancer’s Legacy Sustained Through Daughter’s Foundation
As the first recipient of the Betsye Kay Finch Performing Arts Foundation scholarship, Abby Rogers intends to follow in the footsteps of Finch, known for decades in Lakeand as a teacher of dance and performance.
