Munn Park restrooms? | abortion law uncertainty | tiki bar downtown

Thank you to the 239 people who helped preserve community journalism in Lakeland in 2022 by donating to LkldNow. We are truly grateful.

Support has grown over the years — we had just 14 donors in 2016, our first full year, and this is the second year in a row we have topped 200 — so we have seen huge increases in impact.

LkldNow has grown from one full-time volunteer — me — in our first years to a small but talented staff that includes an executive director for our nonprofit, a full-time reporter, a handful of free-lance reporters and soon a full-time editor who will also contribute articles. As a result, the quantity and quality of our reporting continues growing year-over-year.

We have launched a series of live, in-person forums to explore pressing issues that readers have told us they are concerned about. Last year, we addressed housing/homelessness and smart growth. This year we will hold forums about race relations and education plus a City Commission candidate forum this fall.

Our website audience has grown from an average of 33,000 readers per month in 2019 to 80,000 now. And the numbers keep growing as more people discover LkldNow as a trustworthy source of news focused on quality of life in Lakeland.

If you know people who you think would appreciate our community-centered approach to news, please tell them about LkldNow. You can forward this newsletter to them and let them know why you value LkldNow.

And thanks for your continued readership and continued support.