Polk State Student Receives Coca-Cola Leader of Promise Scholarship

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Polk State Student Receives Coca-Cola Leader of Promise Scholarship

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Winter Haven, Florida – Polk State student Kaitlyn Beebe has won the Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise Scholarship through Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society of two-year colleges.

Beebe is vice president of fellowship for Polk State Winter Haven’s Xi Pi chapter of Phi Theta Kappa.

“I’m very grateful for this award,” Beebe said. “It will help me to save for things down the road.”

Beebe, a resident of Winter Haven, will receive a total of $1,000 in scholarship assistance. She is one of 200 students in the nation selected for the Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise Scholarship. Recipients were selected based on their academic achievements and leadership potential.

Beebe is currently pursuing her Associate in Arts degree. Ultimately, she plans to obtain a bachelor’s degree in education and teach graphic and web design at the high school level.

Members of Phi Theta Kappa must have completed 12 college-level credit hours and have at least a 3.5 grade-point average.

Polk S.W.A.T. Medics Train to Stay Sharp

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Polk S.W.A.T. Medics Train to Stay Sharp

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Bartow, Florida – On Monday, Sept. 26, at the Burnham-McCall Training Center, eight Polk County Fire Rescue tactical medics partnered to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office Special Weapons and Tactics team completed training with three Tampa General Hospital Aeromed 4 crewmembers.

During this training, Polk Fire and Aeromed 4’s crews conducted:

· Patient assessment in the tactical environment
· Treatment of injures in the tactical environment
· Evacuation
· Helicopter operations

Polk Fire SWAT medics train approximately eight hours a month. Their skills are of the utmost importance and continuous training keeps members’ medical abilities sharp.

Polk County Fire Rescue tactical medical program began in June 1995 and has nine paramedics, one tactical HAZMAT emergency medical technician and two doctors assigned to the team. The medics respond with the Sheriff’s SWAT team. These include high-risk warrants, hostage situations, barricaded subjects, training exercises and large-scale events.

The Polk Fire employees who completed the training exercise with Aeromed 4 are:

· Lt. Jason Villeneuve
· Lt. Blaise Dillman
· Engineer Nate Holyfield
· Lt. Anthony Sardegna
· Emergency Medical Technician Rob Brown
· Battalion Medical Chief Yevgeniy Gorokhov
· Engineer Carl “Bubba” Gilileo
· Medical Training Officer Ramon Gonzalez

Early Morning Mobile Home Fire Displaces 3 Families In Lake Wales

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Early Morning Mobile Home Fire Displaces 3 Families In Lake Wales

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Lake Wales, Florida – According to reports the Polk County Fire Rescue was called to a fire at 5137 N Scenic Hwy, Lake Wales, FL 33898 which is the Enchanted Grove Mobile Home Park.  A mobile home in the park was fully involved and eventually became a total loss. The fire is believed to have started around 5 am. According to the person living in the home at the time (we are not releasing that person’s name at this time) his family was able to escape the fire without injury. The home was being rented by the person who advised he and his family has lost everything, but are very thankful to be alive. A smell of burning wires alerted them to exit the trailer before it quickly became engulfed in flames. The mobile homes on either side of the trailer that caught on fire are also currently unlivable until a determination can be made if the intense heat damaged the wiring in those homes. The Red Cross is helping the families with temporary living the next few days. A neighbor advised that they have been in touch with the Lake Wales Care Center to see if they may be able to also assist.

According to the Polk County Fire Rescue they received the 911 call at 5:15am and arrived on scene at 5:29am. The home was fully involved. The fire is still under investigation.

Winter Haven Wal-Mart Employee Arrested For Allegedly Stealing $2055 In Cash

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Winter Haven Wal-Mart Employee Arrested For Allegedly Stealing $2055 In Cash

 

riveraWinter Haven, Florida – On 9/27/2016 Winter Haven Police were contacted regarding a theft of money from the Winter Haven Wal-Mart store at 7450 Cypress Gardens Blvd. According to report officers met with the stores loss control who were looking into a string of cash shortages by an employee Tyra Rivera (DOB: 04/08/98). Rivera a cashier allegedly can be observed on multiple occasions taking money from her drawer and concealing it on her person. According to reports through accounting records of over/short register reports the total amount of the theft was around $2055.

According to reports loss control confronted Rivera who allegedly admitted to taking the money and signed a sworn written statement. The amount listed in the statement is $1,500 admitted to by Rivera. Winter Haven Police Arrested Rivera for Grand Theft and transported her to Polk County Jail.

One Person Shot With A Pellet Gun During Dispute That Saw Multiple Arrests

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One Person Shot With A Pellet Gun During Dispute That Saw Multiple Arrests

william-ramosLakeland, Florida – According to Polk County Sheriff’s Office reports on 09/27/16 at approximately 9pm , Ronnie Perez was involved in a verbal argument with his stepson, William Ramos 19, regarding Perez verbally arguing with his wife, Anna Mireles, which William Ramos did not agree with.

During the verbal argument between Perez and Ramos, Perez attempted to contact law enforcement by dialing 911. As Ronnie Perez began to dial 911, Ramos allegedly pulled the telephone cord, which resulted in the telephone cord being disconnected from the back of the telephone itself.

Ramos then allegedly went to his bedroom and retrieved a BB/pellet hand gun, returned to the front of the residence where Ronnie Perez was located, and began firing the BB hand gun at Perez. Perez reportedly was struck by the BB/pellets approximately five (5) times in his chest and side of his face. Perez sustained injuries ranging from small lacerations to slight puncture wounds, though no pellets fully pierced his skin.

According to reports when deputies arrived the victim, Perez, was in the street. The victim pulled up his shirt, at which time deputies observed multiple wounds on his chest consistent with being shot with a BB/pellet gun. Deputies then made contact with the suspect, Ramos, who allegedly exited the residence and knelled down on the front porch. According to reports by the Polk County Sheriff’s office the suspect willfully and intentionally defied multiple commands to come down off the un-enclosed porch. Deputies approached the front porch with K-9 , Hammer, during which time the suspect continued to defy lawful commands to step down off the porch. As a deputy moved closer to the porch, the suspect allegedly got up, shouted “Fxxx Yxx”, made a hand gesture with a single finger, then began walking back towards the front door. The deputy along with Hammer, rushed up to the porch to prevent the suspect from re-entering the residence. K-9 Hammer bit Ramos in the area of the right hip while a deputy tackled him taking him to the ground. The suspect continued to defy efforts to be restrained with handcuffs for a few moments until he was overpowered and both hands were secured.

Once law enforcement detained Ramos, verbal consent to search Ramos’ bedroom was obtained. While conducting a search of Ramos’ bedroom, a small clear plastic container containing a green leafy substance was located in plain view on top of a nightstand. The substance tested positive for Cannabis.

Deputies arrested Ramos and charged him with resisting an officer without violence, domestic violence, marijuana possession, possession of drug paraphernalia and witness tampering. Deputies also arrested two juveniles ages 16 and 14, both for possession of marijuana, paraphernalia, and VOP burglary (all misdemeanors); another juvenile 16 years old for possession of marijuana; and a 22 year old for a pickup order for non-payment of child support.

Florida Polytechnic University and FDOT Partner to Develop SunTrax Test Facility

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Florida Polytechnic University and FDOT Partner to Develop SunTrax Test Facility

Tallahassee-  Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Secretary Jim Boxold today announced a long-term partnership between FDOT and Florida Polytechnic University to construct the new, state-of-the-art transportation technology testing facility, SunTrax. The creation of this facility will establish Florida as a transportation technology leader and create a high-tech hub for the research, development and testing of emerging transportation technologies related to tolling, intelligent transportation systems (ITS) and automated and connected vehicles.

SunTrax includes a 2.25 mile oval track on a 400-acre site in Polk County, centrally located between Tampa and Orlando. The facility will be placed right outside the city of Auburndale and adjacent to the Polk Parkway, just north of Braddock Road.

Florida Secretary of Transportation Jim Boxold said, “SunTrax at Florida Polytechnic places the future of tolling and technology testing squarely in the Sunshine State. This facility creates a partnership between the public and private sectors to tackle new technology challenges facing the industry for our road users.”

Florida Poly President Dr. Randy Avent said, “The SunTrax partnership is an exciting venture for Florida Polytechnic University and an unparalleled economic driver for the State of Florida.  This joint facility for research, development and testing of advanced transportation concepts will greatly increase our opportunities for faculty research and industry partnerships. As a University founded in the practice of applied research, we look forward to these increased opportunities that SunTrax will bring to our faculty, students and the State of Florida as a whole.”

The initial phase of the project will focus on the construction of an innovative toll testing facility expected to offer local and potentially national and international certification for tolling technologies. The construction of the oval track will be designed to support high speed testing of toll technologies, with multiple lanes and parallel tolled express lanes similar to those being constructed on many current highway widening projects throughout the state.  This phase of construction will also include structures and other facilities to support toll systems testing and development, including the hardware and software utilized on tolled facilities.

The facility will allow Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise (FTE) and the state of Florida to continue leading the way in the development of new transportation technologies. FTE has over 5.5 million SunPass customers who use their toll facilities daily, and FTE processes over 1.3 billion toll transactions annually on a statewide basis for FDOT and for multiple regional and local toll agencies. The new test facility will be within 45 minutes of the Turnpike headquarters in Ocoee, centralizing testing operations and significantly reducing the current travel times to other testing locations.

The approximately 200-acre infield of the track will be developed next, and is expected to become a hub for automated and connected vehicle testing.  The infield will be developed in partnership with Florida Poly, allowing the University to offer its students unique opportunities to participate in the research, development and testing of these cutting edge technologies.  A few of the features that would likely be included are; a learning laboratory, a simulated city center, suburban and rural roadways, interconnected signalized intersections, interchange ramps, roundabouts, various types of pavement, and many others. The included features would be equipped to perform research, development and testing for data and security, vehicle safety and equipment certification. This facility will provide a safe environment for testing these emerging technologies before they are deployed in live traffic.

SunTrax will be the first step in building the surrounding area into a destination for the development of this quickly emerging and advancing automotive technology.  Hundreds of acres are available immediately adjacent to the facility for the future development that will support the growth of this emerging industry.

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Up A Creek Without A Paddle; Winter Haven PD Looking For Kayak Thieves

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Up A Creek Without A Paddle; Winter Haven PD Looking For Kayak Thieves

The Winter Haven Police are searching for an Adult and juvenile who absconded with potted plants and a blue kayak from a Walmart in Winter Haven. The pair exited the store with the oddly unrelated combination of items and loaded them into a truck, never attempting to pay. Could they have been in a rush to landscape their fishing camp!?

The post from the Winter Haven Police Facebook page appears below:

What do a kayak, potted plants and these two people have in common? You probably already guessed – a theft from Walmart.

On 9-22-16 around 1 a.m., the adult male and a child, who appears to be 11 – 13 years of age, entered Walmart at 7450 Cypress Gardens Blvd. and took the unusual combination of potted plants and a kayak.

Obviously, they chose to not make any attempt to pay for the items.

They are seen in the video loading the items into the bed of a white pickup truck pictured below.

Anyone with information on the identities of these two is asked to call Heartland Crime Stoppers at 1-800-226-TIPS (8477).

Callers can remain anonymous and could be eligible for a CASH Reward.kayak-theft-01kayak-theft-03-1

 

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Lakeland Regional Health Joins Mayo Clinic Care Network 

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Lakeland Regional Health Joins Mayo Clinic Care Network 


Lakeland,  Florida –  Today, Lakeland Regional Health and Mayo Clinic announced the start of a new collaborative relationship with the addition of Lakeland Regional Health to the Mayo Clinic Care Network.

 This formal agreement facilitates the transfer of shared knowledge between the two organizations to enhance the delivery of Health Care to the patients of Lakeland Regional Health. As a result, patients receive care from their own trusted local providers while benefiting from Mayo Clinic expertise at no additional cost. 

We continue to deliver on our promise to strengthen the health of this community through strategic clinical relationships,” says Lakeland Regional Health President and CEO Elaine C. Thompson, Ph.D., FACHE. “We are honored to work with Mayo Clinic for the benefit of those we serve.”

As a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network,Lakeland Regional Health will work with Mayo Clinic to share clinical resources. Physicians will have access to information and services, including:

  • eConsults that allow physicians to connect electronically with Mayo Clinic specialists and subspecialists when they believe additional input will benefit their patients
  • AskMayoExpert, a database that offers the latest Mayo Clinic-vetted information at the point of care, including the management and treatment of a wide variety of medical conditions
  • Health Care Consulting that helps members to realize desired levels of operational, financial and patient care through shared best practices
  • eTumor Board conferences that invite physicians to present and discuss complex cancer cases with a multidisciplinary panel of Mayo Clinic specialists and other network members.

The new collaboration also offers Lakeland Regional Health providers access to Mayo Clinic’s library of patient education materials and archived Mayo Clinic Grand Rounds presentations that feature Mayo Clinic physicians and scientists.

“We were pleased to extend this invitation to Lakeland Regional Health, an organization that offers high quality, patient-centered care,” saysRyan Uitti, M.D., medical director, Southeast region, Mayo Clinic Care Network. “We share its focus, and we welcome the opportunity to work more closely with its medical professionals. We’ll collaborate so that patients and the Central Florida community benefit.”

The benefits this new collaboration brings to our patients and families, physicians and clinicians are tremendous,” says Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center President and Lakeland Regional Health Chief Medical Officer Timothy J. Regan, M.D. “Joining the Mayo Clinic Care Network provides the 624 accomplished and dedicated physicians of our Medical Staff with unique tools and services with which to continue the clinical excellence and innovative care our patients expect and deserve.”

The Mayo Clinic Care Network has more than 40 member organizations in the U.S., Mexico, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates. Lakeland Regional Health underwent a rigorous review process based on quality, service and operation criteria. Members of the Network remain independent and collaborate with Mayo Clinic to improve the quality and delivery of healthcare.

About Lakeland Regional Health

As a catalyst for community health, not-for-profit Lakeland Regional Health is reaching beyond its hospital walls to promote wellness, education and discovery in new places and new ways, providing a wide range of inpatient and outpatient health care services at its Medical Center, Hollis Cancer Center and ambulatory care locations. LRH has earned workplace awards fromForbes, Gallup and Becker’s Hospital Review. Its 849-bed comprehensive tertiary referral hospital, Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center, operates a Level II trauma center, a Level II neonatal intensive care unit, the Bannasch Institute for Advanced Rehabilitation Medicine and the state’s busiest single site emergency department. For more information about Lakeland Regional Health, visit http://myLRH.org.

About Mayo Clinic

Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to clinical practice, education and research, providing expert, whole-person care to everyone who needs healing. For more information, visithttp://www.mayoclinic.org/about-mayo-clinic orhttp://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/.We will update this article shortly with additional information.  

***Bolo for Missing Endangered Adult Auburndale***

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***Bolo for Missing Endangered Adult Auburndale***

***Bolo for Missing Endangered Adult ***

Be on the lookout for David Lavaris Jones, b/m, 27 years old. He is  5’10”/180lbs, black hair, brown eyes and was last seen wearing thigh cut-length gray sweat pants, blue shirt, and brown hiking boots.  He was last seen around 10:00 pm on 7/27/16.  He has not been seen or heard from since he left his mother’s residence in Auburndale.  If located, please contact Det. Anderson at the Auburndale Police Department at 863-965-5555.

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Another Shooting In Haines City Monday

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Another Shooting In Haines City Monday

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Haines City, Florida – According to the Haines City Police Department a shooting took place Monday, September 26. This is the second shooting in 3 days. According to Jay Hopgood, acting chief of Haines City Police Department, an officer made a traffic stop on a vehicle driving erratically. The officer discovered that the driver was trying to make it to Heart of Florida Hospital after had been shot in the left forearm. At this time the victims name is not being released. According to Hopgood the victim was provided with a police escort to the hospital.

Some readers had contacted the DailyRidge.Com trying to find out if Heart of Florida Hospital was on lockdown, but according to Hopgood he did not believe that was the case. Due to the shooting victim being brought in several officers were at the hospital.

According to police the victim gave a few different partial stories regarding the shooting and eventually didn’t co-operate with the investigation. Currently no concrete information is available regarding how the gunshot wound occurred. If anyone has any information regarding the shooting yesterday they may call the Haines City Police Department 863-421-3636.

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