The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is currently holding a press conference on a prostitution and human trafficking investigation with over 250 arrests! During the sting two brother reportedly showed up looking like they were ready to rob the undercover house where the sting was occurring. Here is the initial information from PCSO:
Two brothers, ages 16 and 17 years old, came to the location armed with a BB gun, wearing hoodies and ski masks, and creeping around the undercover location as if they were about to commit an armed robbery of the undercover detective who was posing as a prostitute whom they solicited online.
Omar and Kalem Najjar were both charged with attempted armed robbery, a felony, as well as loitering/prowling.
“During these types of undercover investigations, I can truly say that we have ‘seen it all’ and yet we are still surprised by some of the violent acts we encounter. These two teenagers were incredibly lucky that they did not brandish a firearm while stalking who they thought was a prostitute, at a location filled with law enforcement officers. This could have ended very badly for them. This should also illustrate just how dangerous it is to agree to have sex with someone in exchange for money – there were 13 other suspects who brought firearms to the location.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff
Sheriff Grady Judd will brief the media at 10:00 a.m. tomorrow morning, Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at the PCSO Sheriff’s Operations Center, 1891 Jim Keene Blvd in Winter Haven, about an eight-day-long multi-agency undercover investigation, “Operation March Sadness 2024” focused on human trafficking, during which 228 arrests were made of suspects who solicited prostitutes and those who offered to commit prostitution, and other suspects who transported prostitutes to the undercover location.
During this investigation, 13 victims of human trafficking were identified.
Among those arrested were a school teacher, coaches, and active duty military members, among other professions.
Of the 228 arrested, 21 are in the country illegally.
Sheriff Judd will be joined by detectives and representatives from local law enforcement agencies, as well as social services organizations who offered help for human trafficking victims.
Haines City, Florida – The Florida highway patrol is reporting that a Haines City man has been killed after an accident on Polk City Road. According to FHP Sergeant Steve Gaskins at approximately 3:30am Saturday morning a Nissan Rogue, was traveling westbound on Polk City Road. A second vehicle, a Honda Pilot, was traveling eastbound on Polk City Road. Near the intersection of Prado Grande Avenue, the driver of the Rouge reportedly lost control and entered the path of the Pilot. As a result, the front of the Pilot collided with the passenger side of the Rouge. A passenger traveling in the Rouge later expired from injuries suffered during the crash.
Here is a breakdown of those in the vehicles:
Rouge Driver: Male, 35, Haines City, Minor injury
Passenger in Rouge: Male, 50, Haines City, Fatal injury
Pilot Driver : Male, 29, Haines City, Minor injury
Pursuant to Marsy’s Law the Florida Highway Patrol does not release names of crash victims.
Frank Herbert’s 1965 sci-fi epic Dune has long been considered an unfilmable story due to its grandiose length and scale. Then again, the same was said of Lord of the Rings, which is roughly the same length. So, if Lord of the Rings could be successfully adapted, why not Dune?
That question has been asked many times before, as attempts have been made before to bring Dune to screens big and small. David Lynch famously filmed his theatrical adaptation in 1984, which, while now a cult classic, was then a financial and critical flop. The SyFy Channel attempted another adaptation with a mini-series in 2000.
Now, nearly 20 years later, acclaimed film director Denis Villeneuve has taken up the challenge to bring Dune to the big screen with a multi-part film series. Part 2 was recently released in theaters. But what about the first part? Did Part 1 justify creating a Part 2? Or should the first movie have been left in the desert to be eaten by sand worms?
Young Willy Wonka* is the heir apparent to a royal house. His family has been sent to Space Iraq to oversee the mining of Space LSD. However, it turns out they were sent there as a trap so that the other royal family, led by Drax the Destroyer, could kill them and take over. Now, Young Willy Wonka, along with the help of his companions, Aquaman and Thanos, must go on a journey to avenge his father.
Complicating matters is that Young Willy Wonka is seen as the Space Messiah by the native inhabitants of Space Iraq. The reason being his mother is part of a line of Space Nuns who are prophesized to bring about the birth of the Space Messiah. As such, he has special powers, including clairvoyant dream that give him visions of MJ from Spider-Man, who may or may not be tied to his destiny. Can Wonka avenge his family while avoiding a Space Holy War in the process? (Also, the giant butthole worms that live on that planet?)
Dune is a story set in a fantastical sci-fi setting that is simultaneously otherworldly yet familiar. For example, on the desert planet which the main story takes place, people wear special suits that keeps them hydrated them by recycling their bodily fluids, and they fly in gyrocopters that look and fly like dragonflies. However, the overall setting looks and feels like the Middle East. (Hence the glib remark about it being Space Iraq!)
Far from being yet another sci-fi action thriller, Dune is more like Star Wars meets Game of Thrones with a heavier focus on political struggle and infighting, as multiple factions vie for control over a planet and its precious resources. In fact, while the setting is otherworldly, the subtext remains rather on the nose about this world’s politics. After all, the story takes place in a desert setting whose people and resources are exploited by an imperialist empire for the sake of profit. (Sadly, not much about the Middle East has changed since Frank Herbert’s original story that it remains pertinently relevant today!)
Cinematically, the first movie is a visual marvel with grandiose thematic settings and which weaves an intricate web of lore and backstory to develop a fleshed-out world filled with intriguing characters all with their own unique motivations. Unfortunately, the entire movie is a
real slowburn with mostly consists of all setup and no real payoff–well, that is, until the next movie, that is.
How can I best describe this movie? Imagine you’re in a D&D session. Your DM spends an hour and a half explaining in excruciating detail the backstory of your game’s settings, its characters, and the overall objective of your campaign moving forward. Then, right when you finally expect to start playing the game, they announce, “Okay, come back next week and we’ll actually play the game this time.”
That’s how watching this movie feels!
Dune: Part 1 spends most of its time setting up the story, and takes most of its time doing so that what little plot moves at a snails pace without much else happening. Some people could compare this movie to Fellowship of the Ring, but, really, it feels more like if that movie consisted of the first act stretched out to the same three-jour runtime and ending with Frodo leaving the Shire. All set up, no pay off, and blatantly telling you to come back next time for the rest of the story which promises to be more interesting.
So, yeah, Dune: Part 1 is a good prologue to what will hopefully be a better, more interesting movie. Let’s hope Part 2 lives up to the hype this movie gave it.
*Yes, I know these characters have real names, but it’s funnier to refer to them by the other characters that their actors have played.
Lake Wales, Florida- The Polk County Sheriff’s Office and the Polk County Fire Rescue are currently on scene of an accident with injuries on Hwy 27 & Jackson St. in South Lake Wales. According to reports the accident occurred at 5:02pm.
It appears the accident was between a semi-tractor trailer and a white sprinter van.
We currently don’t have specifics on injuries, but we can confirm at least one individual is currently being transported for treatment.
Lake Wales, Florida – The Lake Wales Police Department, Lake Wales Fire Department and approximately 4 Polk County Fire Rescue ambulances are on scene of multiple vehicle crash on Burns Avenue in Lake Wales.
According to Troy Schulze, Deputy Chief, with the Lake Wales Police Department the “crash is at Burns Ave and Tower Blvd. There are two vehicles involved. The vehicle crossing Burns Ave reportedly violated the right of way of a westbound vehicle on Burns Ave.” The accident was reported at 10:16am.
According to Schulze it appears 4 patients are involved. 2-3 of those patients may be transported by helicopter evacuation.
At this time it does not appear that these injuries are life threatening, but traumatic enough to warrant helicopter transport.
Editors Note: We apologize we accidentally put 8 months rather than 8 weeks in our initial headline.
On Saturday, February 24, 2024, Winter Haven Police reunited Willow, the tiny Pomeranian with her 15 year-old owner this afternoon.
Willow was 8-weeks old when she was taken from the girl on February 14 as she walked through a parking lot on 6th St SE in Winter Haven after school. She received the puppy as a gift for her extraordinary work on a Youth Fair project.
Little details of the rescue are available at this time, however after detectives continued to dig in and follow leads, they were able to obtain the dog unharmed and in good condition.
“We are absolutely thrilled that we had this reunion today,” said Police Chief David Brannan. “The most important thing right now is this young girl has her puppy back safe and sound.”
No further details are being released at this time as the investigation is still ongoing. If and when charges are filed we will update you.
Last Saturday, Downtown Bartow partied like it was 1999…or rather, 2014. This year’s SyFy Bartow was themed to time travel, which was the same theme of its 2nd event ten years ago.
This year’s theme was “It’s About Time”, with this year’s event focusing on time travel media like Back to the Future, Doctor Who, and The Terminator. Both the Tardis from Doctor Who and the DeLorean from Back to the Future were on full display at the Classic Car Show.
Attendees were encouraged to dress up as their favorite characters from their favorite media, whether it had to do with time travel or not. Several dozen competed in the costume contest. One of the winners was dressed up as The Penguin from Batman.
Throughout Downtown Bartow, attendees could peruse the various vendors and booths lined along Main Street and the adjoining avenues. Several guest celebrities participated in the event, including Jack O’Halloran, the actor who played the henchman Non in Superman II.
While previous years had overall good weather save for the occasional drizzle, this year’s event had bad weather on the forecast with gray overcast skies. The good news is that rain did not start until near the end of the event. The bad news is that the bad weather most likely deterred many attendees, explained event founder and organizer Sean Syndenski.
“It was a little down this year because of the threat of rain,” he said. “First year in 11 years that the weather was a factor. Thousands of people braved the not-so-bad weather and had a fantastic day so it always meets my expectations when people are happy. Aside from the occasional drizzle for a few moments randomly throughout the day, the weather was beautiful.”
Despite the encroaching threat of inclement weather, the event went overall well, Syndenski said. He never experienced a SyFy Bartow event that was a complete flop. He owes its success to the fan community they have created throughout the years.
“You know, I thought it worked out pretty well,” he said. “In 11 years weather has never been a big factor so I thought the event went well. It doesn’t discourage me from doing outdoor events.”
“It always boils down to the support of the attendees, sponsors, and vendors,” he continued. “The volunteer staff that we have is extremely customer service related and professional. This always makes for a really good experience. I think the most compliments we get every year is that our staff is very informative and helpful.”
Next year’s event will be themed to “Villains” with an emphasis on fictional antagonists. Overall, Sean and his wife Lori love hosting the event. He says that his favorite part is interacting with the people.
“Every year my wife Lori and I run into the random family sitting on the curb having lunch or at one of the tables provided or one of the local restaurants,” he said. “Their kids are smiling and laughing. Everyone is having a good time. It’s like visiting a theme park where everyone is mesmerized by the event and it’s a happy place. So, bottom line, smiling faces.”
To learn more about SyFy Bartow and upcoming events, visit their website at: https://bartowcon.com/
The Bartow Police Department and emergency responders are on scene of an accident on S.R. 60 & Wilson Avenue. According to reports the accident occurred around 6:35pm. At this time we don’t believe the accident has significant injuries, but it is partly blocking traffic.
Please drive carefully and we will update if. More information is released.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past 15 years, you probably know the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is currently one of the hottest movie franchises of all time—so much so that many other movie studios have attempted (and mostly failed) to emulate its success by creating their own cinematic universes.
Even Sony wanted to make a superhero universe with Spider-Man. Initially, they intended to launch their planned “Spiderverse” using the Amazing Spider-Man films; but when those movies underperformed, they made the better decision to partner with the MCU and instead incorporate Spider-Man into their franchise.
However, none of that seemed to have stopped Sony from creating other Spider-Man movies and spin-offs outside of the MCU. Unfortunately, none of those other films (live action, at least—the animated Spiderverse films have been cinema gold!) have proven successful with the notable exception of the Venom movies—and only because those films were so bad they’re good.
Everything else (outside of the animated Spiderverse films) has proven dead on arrival: Morbius, Kraven the Hunter, and the newest body to be tossed onto the pile: Madame Web. Even before its official release, the movie became a laughing stock with one line from the trailer being mocked and memed across the interwebs. (No pun intended!) And since its release, the film has only gained negative reviews.
And count this review as one of them because—man!—was this movie the textbook example of wasted potential! Ever heard the saying, “No such thing as a bad idea, only good execution”? Because that saying applies perfectly to Madame Web!
When a pregnant woman in the 1970s explores the Amazon in search of a rare spider, she is betrayed by her assistant who steals the spider for himself and leaves her for dead. Fortunately, before she passes, she is saved by a mysterious tribe of spider people who help deliver her baby girl.
Twenty years later, that girl grows up to be Cassie Webb. She soon learns she has clairvoyance, and her powers reveal that three teenage girls have been targeted for assassination by an evil billionaire, who just so happens to be the same man who killed her mother. Can Cassie save those three girls in time and avenge her mother’s death?
Like I said: there’s no such thing as a bad idea, only bad execution–and this movie does have a good idea! A character who can see the future and use their powers to prevent bad events from happening is an intriguing concept, even if it’s been done many times before. And the villain having the same power of clairvoyance certainly sets up the potential for a clever game of cat and mouse, with both parties trying to outmaneuver and outsmart the other. And putting both characters in an action-packed superhero movie sounds like pure blockbuster gold.
So, what went wrong?
Well, it certainly doesn’t help that the actors—every actor!—are playing characters who are blander than mayo on crustless white bread delivering lines that are duller than burnt-out lightbulbs. For characters playing out an interesting premise, all their performances come across as nearly monotone, bland, and forgettable. In fact, I could hardly remember most of their names after watching this film. I had to look those up on Wikipedia just to know who they are.
I mean it when I say these characters are unmemorable. I only remember the name of Dakota Johnson’s character because a name like “Webs” in a Spider-Man movie is about as subtle as walking into an actual spiderweb. The three girls she’s supposed to be protecting are no better. They’re not even characters, just stereotypes: Shy schoolgirl, preppy Latina, and gangsta punk.
Speaking of which, these three girls are supposed to gain Spider-Man powers and become superheroes who kill the main antagonist. Cassie Webs also becomes a hero herself: the titular Madame Webb. Throughout the movie, we see glimpses of who these women are supposed to become, promising us some epic superheroine showdown. Instead, this payoff never pays off, and the movie comes across as a prequel to a cooler superhero movie that was never made (and, judging by the box office, will never be made).
That’s the problem with these Sony Spider-Man spin-offs. They desperately want to sell themselves as Spider-Man movies sans Spider-Man, but they don’t seem to get that people only care about Spider-Man for the titular character. Nobody cares about Morbius or Kraven or Madame Webb, and no amount of “clever” Easter eggs is going to make up for the severe lack of Spidey.
Overall, if you want a superhero movie where a group of female characters have to escape the clutches of an evil rich guy who wants them all dead because they pose a threat to his livelihood, go watch Birds of Prey. I promise you it’s a more interesting watch than this, which is essentially Birds of Prey sans the comedy.
