WASHINGTON - The government is quietly negotiating to help cell phone customers avoid expensive fees when they cancel contracts with wireless companies, The Associated Press has learned. ...more

May 21, 2008

Newsome coach Kelly Townsend is adhering to the belief it's hard to beat a team three times in a season. ...more

January 25, 2008

Just before Thanksgiving, Lee Fox received a call for help from her friend Lynn Zablo. ...more

January 14, 2008

LAKELAND - Polk sheriff's deputies are searching for a 61-year-old woman missing since last night. ...more

December 29, 2007

Editor's Note: We are republishing this letter to the editor due to an error. We apologize for the error. It is good that our county leaders are seeking sound suggestions for the future growth of our county. It would have been more significant if they had actually accepted and followed through on suggestions in the last five years. ...more

December 27, 2007

It is good that our county leaders are seeking sound suggestions for the future growth of our county. It would have been more significant if they had actually accepted and followed through on suggestions in the last five years. For instance, a number of citizens had pleaded for alternate arterial roads parallel to U.S. 27. There are still no through arterial roads unless you count the Sebring Parkway, which has a number of traffic lights, and is a number of years from completion north of Avon Park. Even the 2025-year bypass from south Sebring will stretch west into Hardee County and come back to U.S. 27 in Polk County. Great concern had been expressed about development in wetlands and flood-plains, to no avail. The recent decision to rebuild State Road 8 at twice the cost, because of the low-lying topography, apparently ignored that concern. Even after the county government bought a number of houses in that area due to flooding, the county commission approved another permit to build in Venus. The fact that some areas in this county are un-developable apparently is not a logical deterrent to development. The issue of conserving water run-off has been in the news recently, and the related agencies have expressed concern about employing a number of measures to achieve that goal. This includes preventing pollution of our lakes. Rain run-off must have a place (wetlands and flood plains) where it can be filtered into the aquifer. ...more

December 21, 2007

On Nov. 17 at the Inverness Golf and Country Club, Lt. Larry "Buddy" Grant, Deputy Sheriff, was awarded the Sons of the American Revolution Law Enforcement Medal by the Withlacoochee Chapter SAR in recognition of his diligence and decisive action which saved the life of a 15-day-old baby. ...more

December 19, 2007

The Pasco Sheriff's Office has identified the 2-year-old girl pronounced dead this morning at her home at 8914 Whistler Way in Hudson. ...more

November 14, 2007

The oldest Polk County rivalry was alive and well Friday night. The 8-1 Kathleen Red Devils battled the 8-1 Lakeland Dreadnaughts at Bryant Field, and the game was as close as fans have come to expect when these teams match up. The Dreadnaughts prevailed 21-17 in as physical a matchup as they have seen all year. ...more

November 10, 2007

Check back for quarter-by-quarter scoring updates. ...more

November 10, 2007