Dear reader,
I founded LkldNow in 2015 with a vision to create a local news organization that serves the public and fosters community connections. What started as a one-man volunteer operation has slowly grown into a small but mighty newsroom and a primary source for local news. But LkldNow can continue only if you find value in our work and help support it. Every gift helps — especially right now! Thanks to our matching funds from local partners as well as the national NewsMatch program, every donation made between now and the end of the year will be doubled!
If you can, please help us sustain independent local journalism in Lakeland. Thank you!

Sincerely,
Barry Friedman

With county and city officials urging residents to prepare for Tropical Storm Erika, we’ll be tracking news of the storm, focusing on how Lakeland prepares for and copes with it. Please send any news tips or feedback to newstips@lkldnow.com. View the live blog after the jump:
SEND CORRECTIONS, questions, feedback or news tips: newstips@lkldnow.com