Bear sightings | candidate forums | teacher vacancies

LkldNow staffers don’t usually interview people while wearing our pajamas — or before we’ve had at least one cup of coffee. But when my phone squawked at 7:20 a.m. Monday with an AlertPolk message about a black bear in my neighborhood, I looked out my windows and could see Lakeland Police patrol cars stationed down my street and one block over. 

I texted the 11 neighbors in my Shore Acres group chat, posted a message on our neighborhood Facebook page, and then grabbed my car keys and notepad. (I easily could have walked, but that didn’t seem wise with a bear on the loose.) 

Throughout the day, I left home every 45 minutes or so to check on the bear and chat with folks who had seen it. Almost six hours passed before I spotted another media outlet. 

That’s not how breaking news usually unfolds, but it’s also not the first time that I’ve asked questions as both a reporter and an emissary for my neighbors. 

News can get complicated at the national level, with different perspectives sometimes driving coverage. But our perspective at LkldNow is really simple: We care about what’s happening in Lakeland because we live here, too.