Polk County | featured news

The Polk County Sheriff's Office has arrested nine men accused of possessing child pornography, including a first-grade Poinciana teacher, officials said Wednesday night. Carrie Horstman, agency spokeswoman, said there was still one more arrest to be made. The Sheriff's Office computer crimes detectives, along with partners from the Central Florida Internet Crimes Against Children task force, served search warrants throughout July, making arrests during the undercover investigation coined Operation Child Shield 3.

A grade doesn't accurately represent a school, said Art Martinez, principal of Lakeland High School. His school went from an A grade in 2014-15 to a C in 2015-16 — the biggest drop among of Polk County's high schools. Lakeland is not the only Polk County high school whose grade was lower.

A man accused of stabbing someone more than 30 times in June had his charges upgraded from attempted second-degree murder to felony attempted murder.

Going into Monday night’s city meeting, Auburndale commisssioners faced a crossroads in how to handle recycling services. The city’s current contract with Republic Services is set to expire in September and the City Commission unanimously voted to not renew the contract with the Winter Garden-based trash disposal company.

A murder charge has been filed against a Colorado man accused of fatally shooting a Lakeland man in 2015.

Jessica Solano, a third-grade math teacher at Highlands Grove Elementary, is one of five finalists for Florida Teacher of the Year.

City commissioners in Fort Meade agreed Tuesday night to donate a parcel of land to Habitat for Humanity so a home can be built on it.

After putting out the call seeking companies to manage the city-owned mobile home park, Fort Meade didn’t find much interest.

Despite occupying a seat in the Florida Senate for the last four years and working in the state Legislature for more than a decade, Denise Grimsleystill considers herself a health care professional at heart.

It appears as though Mayor Horace West will be the deciding vote in whether Amy Arrington makes the short trip from Davenport to Haines City.