Category: News

An enlightening conversation about local media Barry Friedman Founder and Editor-at-large If you are interested in Lakeland’s news media – and I suspect you are if you read this newsletter – you can learn a lot via a revealing new video and podcast. It’s the latest episode of the Listen Lakeland Show produced by Lakeland […]

CURATED LAKELAND NEWS Hunt for Easter eggs | Various times and locations Thursday – Saturday.Check the list of Easter egg hunts and family events at Lakelandmom.com for holiday happenings near you. Meet author Craig Pittman | Thursday | 6:30 p.m. | Kathleen Heritage Park, 8950 N. Campbell RoadPittman, a humorist, environmental columnist, author and podcaster, […]

CURATED LAKELAND NEWS Explore the history of Florida citrus labels | Thursday | 5:30 p.m. | Lakeland Public Library on Lake MortonBrenda Eubanks Burnette, author of “Florida Citrus Crate Labels,” will talk about the marketing of Florida citrus. Free. Check out the new trails at Se7en Wetlands | Friday | 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. […]

Event will focus on sustaining Lakeland’s lively arts scene Trinity Laurino Executive Director One of the things that struck me when I moved to Lakeland was how much this city values the arts. A professional symphony, a Smithsonian-affiliated art museum, a thriving theater scene, live music, public art and schools dedicated to arts education – […]

A pet topic comes home to roost Trinity Laurino Executive Director I’m often asked about bias in the media, and I usually try to give a thoughtful and nuanced answer to that question, but this week we published an article on which I am biased – although I had no influence on the journalism other […]

CURATED LAKELAND NEWS Enjoy art and song | Thursday | 6 p.m. | The AGB Museum“An Evening of Song” at the Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum of Art features music inspired by the museum’s current exhibits. Performers are mezzo soprano Jenny Heidtman, a Florida Southern College adunct faculty member, with pianist Cheryl Tschanz, and the FSC […]

Spotlighting Lakeland Lore Robert Meyerowitz Editor A dictionary tells us that “lore” is “a body of traditions and knowledge on a subject or held by a particular group.” That’s a fairly abstract definition that LkldNow intends to put to particular use: the lore of Lakeland. We’ve already taken a stab at it this week – […]

Listening, engaging with readers Trinity Laurino Executive Director Yesterday marked two moments that highlight what LkldNow is all about for me. First, our founder and editor-at-large, Barry Friedman, celebrated his 72nd birthday. As we approach LkldNow’s 10th anniversary in September, it’s the perfect time to recognize his vision and dedication to local journalism. Without Barry, […]

Tales of two swans Robert Meyerowitz Editor There’s a story about Lakeland that can be told through the travails of two black swans.  We’ve written about them four times in the last two weeks, starting when the swans and their eggs were stolen from a Lakeland senior community, when the swans were found (safe we […]

Reflecting on a fallen soldier’s delayed journey back to Lakeland Robert Meyerowitz Executive Director There was something poignant in our article this week about Bobby Colter, the soldier from Lakeland who went off to war and quickly met a miserable end. Perhaps you’ll agree. It was the contrast. Robert Colter Jr. and his brother Charles […]