Lakeland taxes rising | FSC's new president

Get live election results on Tuesday

Barry Friedman

Founder and Editor-at-large

Last week, I told you about LkldNow’s Voter Guide for next Tuesday’s primary election: www.lkldnow.com/voterguide. It’s a great place to learn about the candidates before you vote in the next few days.

This week I’m going to give you a preview of what you’ll find on LkldNow on Tuesday night. After the polls close at 7 p.m, we’ll be poised to bring live election results as soon as they are released.

Complete results: For the first time, we will publish a page that will let you quickly scan charts showing results for not only all the Polk County races, but for every Congressional and legislative race in Florida. You will find that page at www.lkldnow.com/electionresults.

As always, we’ll start with partial results as soon as they are available, often well within an hour after polls close, and we will continue updating until final results are released.

Text and photos: While part of our team is working on the elections charts, others will be producing a roundup story for our home page. It will give background on the local races and Polk County turnout information as well as quotes from candidates and photos from some of the gatherings where they will be learning whether they won or lost.

The business part: And now, a word from our executive director, Trinity Laurino – Thank you to the 44 new donors who stepped up after our recent appeal. We have raised about $1,600 and have $3,400 left to go for our August goal. If you find LkldNow valuable, please help support our mission of independent community news for Lakeland.

Lakeland Commissioners Wrestle With How Much to Raise Property Taxes

Proposals under consideration would raise the average homeowner’s bill by $20 to $28 a year.

Circle B Bar Reserve Reopens a Week After Debby

Trails at the Lakeland-area reserve are still wet, so visitors should use caution.

Meet Florida Southern College’s New President: Jeremy Martin

Martin is the 18th president of the Lakeland college known for its Frank Lloyd Wright-designed buildings.

Nearly 120,000 Polk County Public School Students Return to Class

Teacher vacancies are lower than last year, but the school district still has open positions.

New Indian Restaurant Opens on Lakeland’s North Side

Curry Leaves’ owner says YouTubers helped make his first location in Tampa a viral success.

Storm Sends 30,000 Gallons of Untreated Wastewater into Lakeland Waterways

City officials reported three wastewater spills attributed to exceptionally heavy rains from Hurricane Debby.

CURATED LAKELAND NEWS

TV station’s ‘Community Connection’ visits Kathleen and features Faith in Action, historical society, reconstructed middle school | 10 Tampa Bay

Nature photography by Lakeland’s Andy Glogower selected for display at Tampa International Airport | Fox 13 News

Lakeland-based NASCAR venture found a local driver and developed a family vibe | Auto Racing Digest

Lakeland native Monae’ Nichols’ family watched and celebrated as she competed in Olympics long jump | Spectrum News 9

Fund has raised $35,000 to help the three children of a Massachusetts couple killed in a Lakeland accident | Boston Globe

Stroll an air-conditioned art festival | Saturday 10—5, Sunday 10-4 | The Magnolia Building
Fine Art at the Magnolia returns to the Magnolia Building, 702 E. Orange St. The works of 19 Florida artists and crafts creators span various media, including painting, sculpture, clay, fiber, jewelry and drawings. Free and open to the public.

Learn about honeybees | Saturday | 10 to noon | Bonnet Springs Park nature center
Celebrate World Honeybee Day by meeting a local beekeeper, learning about a bee’s lifecycle and enjoying bee-themed activities. Free and open to the public.

Hear Taylor Swift’s music in a candlelit setting | Saturday | 9 p.m. | Lake Mirror Center
Listeso Lakeland presents strings playing an hour of Swift’s music at the auditorium, 121 S. Lake Ave. Tickets: $51-$60.50.

Check our full calendar