A balanced menu of news
Cindy Glover
Editor
I don’t recall when I first heard the term “healthy news diet,” but I remember it made an impact.
Stories that go viral are often the ones that elicit horror or outrage — but an endless barrage of tragedy, disasters and “us vs. them” politics can make the future seem very bleak. I know my own mental health suffers if I consume too much media that makes me feel angry, hopeless or sad.
At LkldNow, we don’t want our readers to feel that way. One of my responsibilities as editor is to look holistically at what we publish and make sure we’re providing balanced, community-focused news that accurately reflects quality of life in Lakeland.
This past week we served up a well-rounded assortment of articles on health, public safety, business, growth and development, education and community events. We wrote about downtown parking, the Detroit Tigers’ spring training games, Black history, trash collection, school buses and a new mental health initiative at the county jail.
Looking ahead, we have a healthy mix of hard news and features in the pipeline.
There may be times when breaking events make things a bit lopsided, but overall, we want to balance difficult news with the good things that are happening in our community. We want to be a trusted media outlet you never have to take a break from to feel OK about the future.
Polk Agencies Join Forces To Help Inmates’ Behavioral Health
The program continues after they leave incarceration as Polk County combats a mental health crisis.
Eastbound Pipkin Road to Reopen Between Harden Boulevard and South Florida Avenue on Thursday
More than two years after it was closed, the nearly mile-long stretch is scheduled to reopen at 3 p.m.
Parking Landscape in Downtown Lakeland Changes as Private Lots Begin Offering ‘Public Parking’
Tampa-based Seven One Seven Parking Enterprises is now managing at least four privately owned parking lots downtown.
Manhunt: Lakeland Police Seek Surviving Suspect in Shooting That Killed Two, Including a 3-Year-Old
The shooting took place in the parking lot of the Cambridge Cove Apartments on Mall Hill Road around 6:30 p.m. Monday.
Lakeland’s Growing Network of Sidewalks and Trails Helps It Earn ‘Runner Friendly Community’ Status
Lakeland currently has over 340 miles of sidewalks and almost 30 miles of trails — with more on the way.
We Are Still ‘Springing Forward’ This Weekend
Daylight saving time begins Sunday. It will end on Nov. 3.
Lakeland’s New Black History Display Offers a Modern Touch
The ‘Hall of History’ recently opened in the Coleman-Bush Building in northwest Lakeland.
Repairs will affect traffic turning from US 98S to 540A through Friday
The work involves an area water outage from 7 p.m. Thursday to 6 a.m. Friday.
Southwest Middle School Unveils Its $55 Million Transformation
The overhaul offers the latest educational technology in three new buildings, built in part on old athletic fields.
CURATED LAKELAND NEWS
Family grieves toddler killed during shootout: ‘We’re never going to hear his voice again’ | News Channel 8
Pre-construction starts on project to four-lane U.S. 98 from West Socrum Loop to Pasco County line | The Ledger
Publix heir Howard Jenkins and former CEO Ed Crenshaw are leaving the grocer’s board | Tampa Bay Business Journal subscription story
County reaches a compromise on disputed site for an emergency generator in Christina Woods | The Ledger
Kerry Falwell, Florida Children’s Museum director, named a Tampa Bay Business Journal Businesswoman of the Year honoree | TBBJ
City’s new eSports center at Coleman-Bush Building offers 20 videogame stations and tech classes | The Ledger
Multi-agency prostitution, trafficking investigation results in 228 arrests, including 42 Polk residents | Fox 13 News
State accelerates plan to add express lanes to I-4 in east Polk County | The Ledger
Following a fatal accident, long-sought traffic signal is nearly ready at West Pipkin-Medulla Road intersection | News Channel 8
Former Moorehead residents recall the community that was removed to build the RP Funding Center | News Channel 8
Bolero y más: Celebrating a Culture of Puerto Rican Music | Thursday | 6 p.m. | Union Hall
The Puerto Rican/Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Polk County celebrates four composers through music and dance and also presents its annual Galleon Awards. Tickets: $20/members, $30/nonmembers.
NAACP Black History Month Program | Thursday | 6 p.m. | Coleman-Bush Building, 1104 MLK Jr. Ave.
Historian Canter Brown Jr. speaks about early African-American settlements in Polk County and LkldNow writer Kimberly C. Moore discusses her reporting about Lakeland Black history. Free and open to the public.
Urinetown the Musical | Thursday – Sunday | Buckner Theater, Florida Southern College
The irreverent satiric comedy based on the works of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill is performed at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets: $20/adults, $10/children
Plantae-Palooza Garden Festival | Saturday | 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. | Hollis Gardens
Twenty vendors will sell a variety of landscape and house plants.
Detroit Tigers vs. New York Yankees | Saturday | 1:05 p.m. | Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium
Their 80th year in Lakeland, the Tigers open their 2024 Spring Training season against the Yankees. Tickets range from $12 to $95.
Drew & Ellie Holcomb | Saturday | 7:30 p.m. | Polk Theatre
The husband-and-wife Americana/Christian duo from Nashville stop here during their Feels Like Home tour. Tickets: $29-$49.
Lakeland Record Fair | Sunday | 10 a.m. | The Rec Room
Jesse Carl Vinyl presents a gathering of vendors offering new and used LPs, CDs, cassette tapes, memorabilia, etc., at The Rec Room, 202 N. Massachusetts Ave.
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