LRH Behavioral Health Facility Deferred
Construction of Lakeland Regional Health’s Center for Behavioral Health & Wellness has been put on hold due to loss of revenue stemming from the pandemic. More
Sara Drumm
About Sara Drumm
Posts by Sara Drumm:
Facebook Group Directs Consumers to Businesses Requiring Masks
After the Lakeland City Commission declined to vote on an order requiring mask wearing inside buildings last week, Heather Jackson wanted to find out which local businesses are requiring masks of both employees and visitors. So she created a Facebook group to let community members share their knowledge.More
Where Is COVID-19 Testing Available in Polk? Who Can Get It?
As the number of COVID-19 cases rises, more people are getting tested and seeking testing. Here’s a look at the state of testing in Lakeland and Polk County, where testing is available, and who can get tested.More
Pastors Plan a Faith Rally in Munn Park, Following Protests
Six pastors and U.S. Rep. Ross Spano are scheduled to speak Thursday evening at a rally in Munn Park called to pray for justice and healing as protests against racism and for systemic change continue across the country.More
Faces of the Protest: Participants Talk About Why They Came
While LkldNow’s live-stream camera was pointed toward the speakers and musicians on the stage at Sunday’s racial justice protest in Munn Park, reporter Sara Drumm talked with some of the people in the crowd about why they came and what they hoped the protest would accomplish. Read their stories:More
Peaceful Black Lives Matter Protest Draws Large Crowd
Protesters marched through the streets of Lakeland today en route to a peaceful rally that filled Munn Park with well over 1,000 people.
The procession was headed by hearses displaying names and pictures of black people who have been killed by police or by vigilantes. Clergy members and their families followed the hearses, and then other protesters.More
Palmetto Street Corridor Searches for Identity
On a recent, 98-degree afternoon, the lot shared by Lakeland Public Library and Polk Museum of Art was mostly full. Patrons wandered into the library. Black & Brew’s porch near the library entrance held people reading, studying, and just taking in a quiet moment. A small group sat at one of Red Door’s shaded patio tables. A runner passed by, headed toward Lake Morton. Cars made brief stops at Mr. Fish on East Palmetto Street and a little further down at the Stop N Shop convenience store, while a few people carefully folded laundry at Lake Morton Coin Laundry.
But two buildings along East Palmetto sit unfilled and largely ignored, except for the occasional wonderer of whether Marco’s Pizza is actually “coming soon” to the building at 719 E. Palmetto St. or whether anything actually operates out of the one at 801 E. Palmetto St.More
Festival Atmosphere: Maddox Jam Showcases Local Artists
Lakeland has been adding spaces to showcase local musical talent, but one that some may think is new has been around for awhile. Maddox Ranch, 2505 W. Bella Vista St., has hosted music festivals for more than 10 years, but it hasn’t featured Polk County talent until this February, when it began hosting the monthly Maddox Local Jam.More
Lake Morton Century Homes Project Celebrates History
In neighborhoods near Lake Morton, houses with broad front porches, striking columns, latticed crawl spaces and jutting windows have settled into the Earth for more than 100 years, standing despite hurricanes, gnawing termites, technical advances and human desire for change.
Michael Maguire, a South Lake Morton neighborhood resident, wanted to recognize these old homes. He created the Lake Morton Century Homes project to identify these structures and is hosting a picnic celebration for the homeowners and neighborhood residents Thursday on the lawn of the Lakeland Public Library.More