After saying for years the city needs to add recreation in fast-growing southwest Lakeland, city commissioners are now pondering a land deal: $7 million for 101.5 acres to house a community park southwest of Lakeland Linder Airport. More
A lush, vacant lot across from Southgate Publix lined with stately oak trees is taking on a new life after a group decided it’s the right place for a shared residential lifestyle for seniors and adults with disabilities. More
The Lakeland Chamber of Commerce is partnering with the Tampa Bay Women’s Business Centre to offer free business coaching to female entrepreneurs. More
Parked on the weekends on Memorial Boulevard near Ohio Street and next to the new Coney Funeral Home, the 1911 Rollin Cigar Lounge gives small groups of people a chance to gather and smoke cigars in a comfortable RV. More
A downturn in new COVID-19 cases in Polk County continued for a second straight week as the Florida Department of Health reported 4,787 new infections here. That’s 1,387 fewer new cases than were reported last week, the largest one-week drop to date. Still, the past week’s total was the sixth highest since the coronavirus crisis started in Polk 18 months ago.
Sheriff’s investigators have learned what drew murder suspect Bryan Riley to a quiet north Lakeland neighborhood where his delusions of a sex-trafficking operation led to a rampage that killed four people and wounded another, Sheriff Grady Judd said this morning. More
The staff at Lakeland Regional Health is anxiously waiting to see if the past week’s retreat from record high numbers of COVID-19 patients signals a peak in the current surge or just a momentary blip, a hospital vice president told city commissioners this morning. More
Brian Riley will remain jailed after being denied bail this morning when he went to court for the first time after being charged with four counts of first-degree murder and other felonies in the shooting deaths of four people, including in infant, in two North Lakeland homes and wounding an 11-year-old girl multiple times. More
5:30 P.M. UPDATE: A gunman in military armor who said he was high on methamphetamines shot and killed four people, including an infant, in two houses off North Socrum Road early this morning, then exchanged gunfire with deputies and police before surrendering, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said. More
This week’s COVID-19 update from the Florida Department of Health yields hope that the toll of the delta variant may have peaked in Polk County and Florida. During the last week, 6,174 new infections were reported in Polk, a solid drop from last week’s record 7,510 new cases. The testing positivity rate continued its slide for a second week, falling below 20% for the first time in five weeks.
