Fifty is an important number in Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd’s life this year. In addition to 2022 marking his 50th anniversary at the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, on Sept. 16, Marisa and Grady Judd will celebrate 50 years of marriage. For Judd, it was love at first sight. In the summer between his junior […]
Category: News
Posted inNews
To our Instant News Alert readers
Earlier this morning, we inadvertently sent out an outdated page from our 2022 Primary Voter Guide as a news alert. Our apologies. By way of explanation, the article was part of archiving an earlier version of our Voter Guide before updating it for the upcoming general election. As we update other Voter Guide pages, we […]
Posted inNews
Polk Parkway’s Westbound Exit to I-4 Has Partially Reopened After Truck Overturned
The ramp from the west end of Polk Parkway onto I-4 westbound was closed part of this morning but is now partially reopened after a dump truck overturned around 5 a.m., News Channel 8 reports. Drivers are urged to seek alternative routes. Crews are cleaning up the scene. There’s no word yet on whether anybody […]
Posted inNews
Lakeland Recognizes June as Pride Month, Leaving a Handful Unhappy
A small group of people at Monday morning’s Lakeland City Commission meeting waited for an hour following a proclamation by Mayor Bill Mutz, which recognized June as “LGBTQ Pride Month,” so they could voice their opposition to what several called “an abomination” and “sexual perversion.”
Posted inEducation, News
Polk School District Considers Hiring-Policy Changes After Scrutiny of Teacher Charged with Sexual Battery
Polk County Public Schools is proposing a major change in its hiring practices after a special education teacher and basketball coach was hired at Haines City High School more than a year after he was found not guilty of sending a sexually explicit image to and kissing a student at Poinciana High School.
Posted inCrime / Justice, News
Detectives Search for Man Possibly Connected to Fatal Shooting Sunday
Lakeland Police search for a man they say is possibly connected to a Sunday night shooting in Webster Park that left one person dead. Detectives are attempting to locate 32-year-old Quinton Lakeith Owens. They believe he may have information related to the case. Owens is described as 6’1″ and weighing approximately 250 pounds. Police spokeswoman […]
Posted inBusiness, News, People
Pawsitive Impact: Cat Café Trend Finds Its Way to Lakeland
Cat cafés, where adopting a feline becomes a social experience, are becoming popular in Lakeland.
Posted inNews, People
Reporter Kimberly C. Moore Joins LkldNow’s Staff
LkldNow is growing. Kimberly C. Moore, a skilled and experienced reporter with deep Lakeland roots, is joining our staff as a full-time reporter. During the last four years, Kimberly has covered Lakeland city government and then education for The Ledger, and local readers have witnessed the curiosity and passion for her hometown that drives her […]
Posted inNews, News Roundup
Read It in the Morning Paper: Judicial Elections, Rehab Hospital
JUDGES: Brenda Ramirez, a Lakeland lawyer, will become a circuit judge in January as she was the only candidate who filed for an open seat on the 10th Judicial Circuit. In addition, 11 incumbent circuit judges have been re-elected since nobody challenged them by the deadline. On the county bench, three judges were re-elected and […]
Posted inNews
Negotiated Agreement Would Replace Oak Street Parking Lot With 200+ Apartments, 424-Space Garage
It’s taken six years and on-and-off negotiations with developers, but the city is close to securing a deal that could see a seven-story apartment complex with more than 200 units on a 1.5-acre city-owned parcel on Oak Street in downtown Lakeland. The project plans also include 2,000 square feet of street-level retail and a six-story, […]
