Pastor H.B. Holmes spoke of bridging the digital divide at Lakeland’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast, disclosing he is using his background as a communications entrepreneur to bring free wifi to residents near his church, Word of Faith International on Skyview Drive. He also said he’s talking with the city of Lakeland about tapping into the city’s fiber network to expand free Internet to low-income residents.
Because they were warned not to attend, Polk teachers were cheered when their buses arrived in Tallahassee for a rally supporting public education Monday. The 600+ on the buses plus several hundred more who carpooled made Polk’s probably the largest delegation at a statewide rally whose size was estimated at 4,500 by Tallahassee police.
More than 500 people gathered in Munn Park at 4:30 p.m. today for a rally to support increased state funding for public education. After that, they walked to Florida Avenue to wave signs encouraging support from passing drivers. Speakers in the video, in order, are: More
Around 700 teachers and supporters boarded charter buses at the RP Funding Center early this morning to ride to Tallahassee for a rally in support of public education that’s expected to attract thousands.
In Lakeland, a large crowd is expected at Munn Park at 4:30 today for a companion rally and march to support higher state funding for education. Speakers include Jennifer Sabin, an advocate of education reform. LkldNow plans to live-stream the rally on our Facebook page. More
The group Band Aid 4 Puerto Rico, which organized in Lakeland to collect supplies for victims of Hurricane Maria in 2017, will reactivate to help victims of recent earthquakes on the island, founder Ana Rivera tells News Channel 8 | Facebook page
A collaboration with other pet-serving agencies and a program that sent 300 kittens to out-of-state homes helped preserve the lives of 1,500 animals, SPCA Florida says as it seeks to reverse Polk’s position as the county with Florida’s highest animal-kill rate.
Friends and family of the two people gunned down in an Atlanta Avenue home on Christmas Eve have started GoFundMe accounts to help with funerals and the expenses of raising the two sets of young children who lost parents. More
Community organizations are reaching out to help the four children who were removed from a home on Atlanta Avenue where three adults died in a murder-suicide Christmas Eve. Police released the name of the gunman but not the other two victims; however, WFLA reports the identities after talking with relatives and the Medical Examiner’s Office.
Several local experts this morning gave an overview of homelessness in Lakeland and what is happening at social service agencies and schools to address it. The session, sponsored by the Lakeland Chamber of Commerce, was moderated by City Commissioner Sara Roberts McCarley. More
In its first year, the city’s rapid re-housing program found permanent housing for 114 Lakelanders who if not already homeless were on the verge of eviction, Mayor Bill Mutz said.
Now the city needs to sign off on paperwork to provide the promised $103,000 so the program administrator, Tri-County Human Services, qualifies for additional grant funding to continue the program for another year. More
