Lakeland, Polk County | featured news

Decorations and mementos fill Jerry Haag's office: a giraffe carving from Uganda, a bowl from Tanzania, a warthog sculpture from South Africa. On even more prominent display, though, is a less artistic object: a small sign with the number “1” in white against a black background. For Haag, the “one” isn't an abstraction. In discussing his ethos, he draws upon memories of specific children. He recalls Benito, a 7-year-old boy whose parents brought him to a malnutrition center in Guatemala too late for the staff to save him.

The victim of a fatal accident, in which three others were seriously injured, Saturday afternoon on Rockridge Road have been identified by the Polk County Sheriff's Office.

Police in Louisiana say that several officers have been shot in Baton Rouge while on duty.

A 6-year-old boy and his great-grandparents died after a fire engulfed their home shortly after midnight today, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said.

An early morning house fire in Lake Wales sent two people to the hospital this morning.

Two men were shot in the leg after a confrontation at an XYZ Liquor Store on W. Memorial Boulevard on Friday, the Lakeland Police Department said Saturday.

Olivia Grimes was a shining star, the brightest one there was, according to her family. And the brighter the star the shorter it shines, but that doesn't mean its impact isn't everlasting. That's the message Phil Grimes wants to get across with the children's book, "The Brightest Star," he wrote in memory of his daughter.

City Commissioners in Eagle will set a maximum property tax rate and review resumes for city manager during Monday’s meeting.

Jim Guth knows firsthand that television can't quite capture the intensity and spectacle of the political arena. Guth is one of several Polk-based delegates who will attend the Republican National Convention in Cleveland from Monday through Thursday. Florida will be represented by 99 delegates and 96 alternates at the RNC.