Polk County | featured news

As the weekend approaches and an unnamed storm brews over the Atlantic Ocean, Polk County's various municipalities are taking steps to prepare for the possibility of severe weather in Central Florida.

Residents are more interested in seeing more hiking trails, pickleball courts, dog parks and boat ramps than in some of the traditional park facilities such as baseball fields, park planner Tracy Mullins told a group of residents Thursday night.

A Lakeland man was sentenced to 15 years in prison for abusing two children in 2014, and his ex-girlfriend received five years for the abuse.

The Winter Haven Police Department is looking for three people accused of using stolen credit cards and a check from vehicle burglaries.

A Winter Haven man has been arrested and charged with multiple counts of drug possession after attempting to sell Xanax to an undercover detective.

The personal financial website WalletHub ranked Polk State College among the top 10 percent of community colleges across the nation.

Forget everything you’ve been told about what to do in the case of a bite from a venomous snake, said JoAnn Chambers-Emerson, an educator at the Florida Poison Information Center in Tampa.

Katina Thompson said she often worries about her young son getting shot and killed by law enforcement.

Saturday will be the last day to vote early in Tuesday's primary and nonpartisan election.

State health officials confirmed one more case of travel-related Zika virus in Polk County on Thursday, bringing to 20 the number of residents who have had travel-related infections among 534 such cases statewide.