Watch: Soldier Describes Dual Hit-and-Run Accidents
Deputies are still looking for the driver of the F-150 that injured Private Lawson and is believed to have killed Kelli Black on Galloway Road last week.
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Downtown Baker Creates Film-Based Cakes
Luis Arias, who recently opened Cake Makers Studio (web | Facebook) at 115 S. Kentucky Ave., applies the same kind of creativity he prized as a special effects maker for science fiction movies. His cakes run from $35 to thousands.
Woman Seeks Owner of Pet Ashes Found Roadside
Shari Jo Mayfield took to Facebook (here’s her post) and News Channel 8 to find the owner of a pet cremation bag she found by the road near her house off Lakeland Highlands Road. The local cremation company has closed and its former owner no longer has customer records.
Good Samaritan Soldier Describes Hit-and-Run
Speaking from his recovery bed, Army PFC Kalen Lawson talked with News Channel 8 about the night last week he was injured by a hit-and-run driver on Galloway Road as he helped a woman who had just been hit by another hit-and-run driver:
“She reached out and she grabbed my hand and basically said, ‘Please don’t leave me; please don’t let me go.’ And I basically told her, ‘I’m not going to let you go, ma’am,'” Lawson said. He continued: “She was speaking to us. She would have definitely survived if that second car hadn’t showed up. She would have gotten help and gone to the hospital, and I truly believe she would be alive today.”
The Polk Sheriff’s Office and Heartland Crime Stoppers — 1-800-226-TIPS (8477) — are looking for the driver of the white or light-colored Ford F-150 pickup truck believed to have killed Kelli Black early last Thursday. The driver of the first vehicle turned himself in.
LPD Sergeant Donates Kidney to Co-Worker’s Son
Tammy Hathcock, a detective at the Lakeland Police Department, was looking for a kidney donor for her ailing 20-year-old son. She found one at work: Sgt. Mark Eby, a long-time co-worker.
Musician Emily Jones – ‘Big Noise Coming Out of Lakeland’
Creative Loafing includes Lakeland’s Emily Jones, 20, as one of 30 “young Tampa Bay musicians who are (re)making a scene.” The profile begins: “Lakeland’s Hillcrest Coffee has become something of a hub for the city’s creative class, and in the middle of all the activity is Emily Jones, a barista there and someone whose musical tastes and efforts are all over the Hillcrest concert calendar.” Jones has been a part of several local bands, but is currently focusing on her solo work, a folk/experimental noise/ambient project called ROVER and the punk band Clang!
Former LHS Coach Recalls Chris Sale’s Early Years
Lakeland native Chris Sale, just the third MLB pitcher to start three consecutive All Star games, didn’t seem destined for greatness, his JV coach from Lakeland High School says. He was “a good pitcher, nothing great, didn’t stand out,” Ron Nipper said. “What did you see in him that made you think he’d be a major leaguer? I said, ‘Nothing.’ ” But Nipper said Sale showed intensity and was fearless as a sophomore when pitching against Andrew McCutchen, then a Fort Meade player and now an MLB hitting star | Check the WFLA video
Meet Sean Sweat, Lake Hollingsworth Flag Runner
For Independence Day, The Lakelander’s Sally Barcelo catches up with Sean Sweat, who shares what inspires him to circle Lake Hollingsworth, holding a large American flag as he runs.
Retired LPD Officer Organizes Gift Card Drive for Displaced Seniors
Alex Gomez has collected donations, including $580 in gift cards, for residents of Lake Morton Plaza whose food spoiled when they evacuated the building after a fire. The recently retired officer’s patrol beat included the downtown senior tower. Donations and grocery gift cards can be dropped off at the LPD headquarters.
Creative Loafing Catches Up With Aaron Marsh
The Copeland frontman curated a Spotify playlist featuring Lakeland musicians “made up of brand new artists that make us want to plan a trip to Polk County,” the entertainment weekly says.