- TEACHER SALARIES: The Polk School Board has ratified retroactive teacher pay increases negotiated between administrators and union reps. Among the raises: Teachers hired before July 1, 2014, get an extra $210; those hired later get an extra $315.
- COVID HOSPITALIZATIONS in Polk were up 74% last week over the prior week, according to the CDC. Lakeland Regional Health reported 208 COVID-positive patients as of Monday evening, with 54.8% of them unvaccinated; the hospital’s chief informatics officer said the vaccinated patients generally have co-morbid conditions and those who are unvaccinated are typically sicker and require more care.
- LEDGER CUTBACKS: Like 135 other newspapers owned by Gannett, The Ledger will cease printing its Saturday editions but will make them available to subscribers as an online replica. “The change we are making this year is in response to the direction in which subscriber and advertising trends are headed,” Editor Leon Tucker said.
Source: The Ledger