Why Choose The Polk County Press

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HERE ARE SOME OF THE ARTICLES YOU WILL FIND IN THE PRESS THAT WE ARE COVERING 

 -----The massive "data center" proposed for Fort Meade, Florida, in Polk County, has been temporarily stalled by the Ft. Meade City Commission. A number of residents appeared before the Ft. Meade Commission and protested the concept, saying not enough is known about the proposed project.  The ultimate owner is also not known as an intermediate company will do the grunt work and then sell it to a major U.S. data firm or a division of a major corporation.  Some residents feel this is sneaky and both the Polk County Commissioners and Ft. Meade Commissioners have already authorized tax breaks to this project that most other taxpayers don't enjoy.

----President Trump taking the United States into a major war against Iran is showing up at the gas pumps for local people who always end uppaying for the costs of wars.  Gasoline prices in Polk County have in some cases gone up $1 a gallon since Mr. Trump entered us into the war.

----A popular wedding venue in Hillsborough County, Cross Creek Ranch, suddenly closed, throwing about 70 people out of a job without notice. Scores of couples were notified by e-mail that their wedding plans have been cancelled.  Nothing was mentioned in the emails about refunding thousands of dollars already paid in for future weddings.   The owners cited issues beyond their control and changes in the industry, but public records show some financial issues behind the sudden closure.

----MORE FATAL CRASHES----the string of traffic deaths in Polk County continues.  A 67-year-old Lakeland man riding a bicycle was killed in traffic on U.S. 98 near the Interstate 4 intersection. ---- In Winter Haven, Victoria Ashton Johnson, 30, was arrested on multiple charges after a hit and run crash involving death. She allegedly hit with her car two young boys leaving a church function at Faith Baptist Church.  The eight year old boy died and the ten yearold boy was critically injured.  Johnson was allegedly driving after her driver's license was revoked after a driving under the influence arrestlate in 2025.  The Polk County Sheriff's Office stated the woman admitted to using illegal drugs before the accident. She was charged with fleeinga crash scene involving death, a felony, leaving the scene of a crash involving serious bodily injury, a felony, tampering with evidence, filing a falsepolice report and driving while license was suspended or revoked.  She called authorities the day after the evening crash and claimed that someonehas stolen her car.

---Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has threatened to remove Tampa Mayor Jane Castor from office.  This over the claim by theattorney general that the Tampa Police Department is not properly working with the federal ICE---Immigration and Customs Enforcement. MayorCastor, before becoming mayor, served in the Tampa Police Department for 31 years and was the first openly gay Tampa Police chief from2009 to 2015.  She was once a Republican but switched to the Democrat Party in 2015.

----Two innocent motorcyclists were killed on State Road 33 about six miles north of Polk City when the driver of a car felt inspired to pass three other vehicles on the roadway and ran head on into the motorcyclists, killing them both immediately.  The driver of the car, Richard Lee Logan, age 75, Clermont, also died and he injured his wife in the crash.

---Another innocent motorcyclist, Justin Fulmer of Plant City, died on County Line Road when he apparently was hit by a motorist who did not stop.

---Still another innocent motorcyclist, Bryson Love, 23, Winter Haven died in a freak accident. He was hit and killed when a woman lost control of her vehicle in Winter Haven, going across the median strip and head on into the young motorcyclist.  Mr. Love was remembered as a wonderful and caring person by family and friends and someone who enjoyed life.  He worked for his family's business, Polk Telecommunications where he was admired for his hard work and determination.

 ----Polk County lost a soldier in President Trump's war against Iran.  Dead is U.S. Army Reserve Captain Cody Khork, 35, of Winter Haven. He had been in the ROTC military program at Florida Southern College in Lakeland and had graduated in 2008 from Lake Regions High School near Eagle Lake.

----A transgender male, Dustin Willis, has filed a federal lawsuit against Polk County taxpayers.  He claims in court papers filed in Federal Courtin Tampa that he was given an offer to be hired as a Polk County firefighter, but the offer was withdrawn.    He claims in court documents that he did not conform to preconceived norms and gender identities of what a firefighter should be.

---A new major solar farm in the Lakeland area will generate enough solar power to fuel 2,500 homes. Ground was broken recently on the project close to Florida Polytechnic University.  The Williams Company, a major U.S. "clean energy" company will pay for all up-front costs. Lakeland Electric, in turn, has agreed to buy the solar power output from the solar farm for 25 years.

---SOLAR POWER continues to grow, partly because the cost of producing solar energy has come down over the years.  Tampa Electric (TECOENERGY) currently gets 14 percent of all electricity from solar power, and this will increase to 17 percent by the end of this year.  Both Lakeland Electric, owned by the City of Lakeland, and Tampa Electric, owned a Canadian company, Emera.

---The City of Mulberry will have to spread out over the coming years its multiple building new City Hall Complex. The new City Hall Complexconstruction in Mulberry is just beginning, but the ambitious plan will cost an estimated $30 million.  However, the City is only able to borrow partof that money.  Just one building of the four planned will be constructed now, the main City Hall building.

----The City of Ft. Meade is also dealing with a new City Hall problem.  The state gave Ft. Meade a $4 million taxpayer grant for a new city halland library/public service building.  But before the first stone has been turned, the contractor has already announced cost overruns that could total $1.1 million over budget.

----A Lakeland steel and construction firm, GMF Steel Group, recently hosted 800 high school students from two counties.  The company evenpaid for $18,000 to bus the students in on charter buses.  The message that GMF officials gave the hundreds of young people is don't overlookthe trades, construction and steel jobs for their careers.   There is a major need, especially in a high growth state was Florida, for constructionworkers, electricians, plumbers, crane operators, etc.  These can be good paying jobs.  This comes at a time when some college graduates arehaving trouble finding white collar jobs that sometimes pay less than skilled trade jobs.

THESE ARE JUST A FEW OF THE ARTICLES WE ARE COVERING. TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE PRESS, mail us a check or money order for $42 for an entire year to:

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