About 100 people attended a Smart Growth Summit to discuss Lakeland’s increasing population and ways to handle it in the future.
Author Archives: Kimberly C. Moore
Kimberly C. Moore, who grew up in Lakeland, has been a print, broadcast and multimedia journalist for more than 30 years. Before coming to LkldNow in the spring of 2022, she was a reporter for four years with The Ledger, first covering Lakeland City Hall and then Polk County schools. She is the author of “Star Crossed: The Story of Astronaut Lisa Nowak," published by University Press of Florida. Reach her at kimberly@lkldnow.com or 863-272-9250.
Posted inPeople
Judd Gives Deputy Blane Lane a Special Honor as He Is Laid to Rest
At the funeral for Polk Deputy Sheriff Blane Lane, his family took turns sharing their happiest – and funniest — memories of him.
Posted inCity Hall / Local Gov't
Eight City Commission Hopefuls Press Their Case
The eight people who want to be the next Lakeland city commissioner each described why they should be the one chosen to represent northwest Lakeland.
Posted inEducation
School Board Candidate Backed By Dark Money From National Conservative Group
Jill Sessions’ bid to join the Polk County School Board is backed by a national conservative political action committee that funded a video mentioning her and three other local candidates ahead of the August primary.
Posted inPeople, Public Safety
Funeral for Slain Deputy Blane Lane Set For Tuesday
The funeral for Polk County Sheriff’s Deputy Blane Lane, who was shot while serving a search warrant early Tuesday morning, is scheduled for Tuesday, October 11, at 10 a.m. at Victory Church in Lakeland.
Posted inCrime / Justice, Public Safety
Woman Charged With Murder of Young Polk Deputy
Cheryl Williams, a 46-year-old convicted felon who spent nine years in prison on a drug trafficking conviction, is now charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of Polk County Sheriff’s Deputy Blane Lane, 21.
Posted inPublic Safety
Lakeland Electric, Spectrum Crews Working on Full Restoration; RP Funding Center Roof Damaged
Out-of-state bucket trucks and pickups lined Cambridge Avenue on Monday afternoon as workers continued restoring power to Lakeland Electric customers. “We’ve fixed broken poles, reinstalled poles, picked up wire,” said Daniel Landrie, a lineman with LineTec Services of Lafayette, La. “Made people happy, made some people mad because we’re blocking their streets, but that’s the […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Lakeland Was Spared Hurricane Ian’s Worst; Cleanup Begins
While Southwest Florida took the punishing brunt of Hurricane Ian’s fury, Lakeland fared much better. There were no lives lost in Lakeland or Polk County, although wind gusts of at least 78 miles per hour blew down trees throughout the city and left about 63,000 people without electricity. A National Weather Service meteorologist in the […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Polk Prepares: Tropical Storm Winds Expected Wednesday Followed by Hurricane Ian on Thursday
Marilyn and Dave Whiting, 81, decided to pack a few things, leave their home in the Schalamar retirement community off U.S. 92 and head to Tenoroc High School’s hurricane shelter Tuesday afternoon ahead of Hurricane Ian’s eye’s expected Thursday morning landfall.
Posted inPeople, Public Safety
Suicide Leaves Grief-Stricken Loved Ones Behind
An hour before midnight on Thursday, Sept. 1, Pat Oldenkamp, 75, looked out from her cottage apartment, located in the backyard of her ex-husband’s West Palm Drive home, and saw him puttering in his kitchen, still the tall, handsome, lanky man she had met years earlier when they were both flight attendants for Eastern Airlines. […]
