DUNDEE, FL – July 19, 2025 A new state-of-the-art indoor range is officially opening its doors to the Polk County community this Saturday, July 19, and everyone’s invited to celebrate.
Wild Wild West Arms, located at 29350 U.S. Highway 27 just one mile north of Dundee Road, will host a Grand Opening event from 10 AM to 6 PM with food, raffles, special discounts, and family-friendly fun. Attendees can explore the facility, take advantage of opening-day deals, and learn more about training opportunities offered on-site.
Although the range has been quietly operating for a couple of months, this weekend marks its official community launch. Owners John Phillips, a former law enforcement officer with over 40 years of experience in the field and and wife Yashera Phillips, say the turnout so far has been incredible. “We’ve had a huge turnout with nothing but positive responses,”.
Phillips opened the range with one simple goal in mind: to give Polk County residents a safe, clean, and welcoming place to practice and learn. “Polk County needed a range where people feel comfortable and invited,” he explained. “Safety, clean air, and comfort were our top priorities.”
The facility is staffed with multiple former and current law enforcement officers and in-house gunsmiths, offering a wealth of knowledge to guests, with over 40 years of gunsmith knowledge. Whether they’re first-time visitors or seasoned pros. “We welcome all, but definitely want to encourage first-timers,” Phillips said. “We want to grow the firearm community and the knowledge base around it.”
In addition to standard training, the range already offers more than 10 different classes, including free women’s handgun training and cleaning courses. And that’s just the beginning. “One thing I’m really excited about is hosting handgun tournaments,” he added. “Teams or individuals will be able to compete for big prizes.”
As for those who may be hesitant to step into a range for the first time, Phillips has a simple message: “Don’t be scared to try it. We’ll make the entire experience educational and enjoyable. And you’ll learn skills that could one day save your life or the life of a family member.”
To learn more about the range or the grand opening event, visit http://wildwildwestarms.com or call 863-488-6508
This article is part of a continuing series by Daily Ridge News examining how Polk State College’s administration is addressing or has addressed a range of internal concerns and oversight issues.
By Carl Fish | Daily Ridge News
LAKE WALES, FL — Polk State College officials have confirmed that a group of “trained employees” temporarily had access to more personal data than intended during a system training session in May 2024. While the College acknowledges the exposure of sensitive records—including Social Security Numbers (SSNs)—it maintains that no data breach occurred and that no unauthorized access from outside the institution took place.
The confirmation comes after a series of inquiries from Daily Ridge News, prompted in part by concerns raised following a Lakeland Ledger article exploring tensions between the College’s Board of Trustees and its administration. Among the issues raised were questions about internal handling of SSNs and whether the College took adequate steps to notify individuals whose data may have been exposed.
Misconfigured Access in Banner System
According to College spokesperson Madison Fantozzi, the incident occurred during training on the College’s Ellucian Banner system. A program coordinator discovered that sensitive personal information, such as SSNs, was visible through the system’s SPAIDEN screen, the result of a misconfigured technical setting.
“It was determined that a small group of trained staff temporarily had access to more personal data than intended because of a technical configuration error,” Fantozzi said in an email.
The College responded by suspending access, pausing training, and adjusting user permissions to address the issue.
Student Records Also Affected
Documentation reviewed by Daily Ridge News confirms that the accessible information included both employee and student records. In one case, a staff member’s spouse—also a current student—had their personal information viewed during the training. The inclusion of student data raises specific compliance issues under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
Despite the exposure, the College opted not to notify students or employees, citing the internal nature of the incident and the absence of evidence that the data was misused.
State Audits Flag Broader Issues
Concerns about Polk State’s data handling are not new. State audits, including Reports No. 2022-050 and 2025-067 by the Florida Auditor General, previously identified similar vulnerabilities:
Over 200 employees had access to student SSNs and other sensitive data in 2024. SSNs for approximately 148,000 prospective students—who never enrolled—were being retained indefinitely without a clearly defined public purpose. Commitments made by the College in 2021 to limit access and purge old data had not been fully implemented by 2024.
As part of its response, the College acknowledged that a former employee emailed screenshots of SSNs to College officials when raising concerns about the training system. The employee was later instructed by the then–Vice President of Human Resources to delete the email to avoid the possibility of its release through a public records request.
Fantozzi said the deletion was consistent with state records retention rules and involved content that no longer held administrative value. Still, questions remain about whether those records should have been preserved due to their relevance to a possible data misconfiguration involving personally identifiable information (PII).
According to the former employee, real SSNs belonging to students and staff were visible during Banner training and system testing in 2024. He says he raised the alarm internally in May and believes that his non-renewal in June may have been linked to his attempt to report the exposure (none renewed contracts is a persistent theme after concerns are raised by faculty).
He also alleges that the training sessions used live institutional data—including home addresses and birthdates—instead of anonymized records. This practice, he says, contradicts standard cybersecurity and data privacy protocols followed by most colleges and universities.
Lack of Technical Oversight Alleged
The whistleblower, a veteran of higher education systems, says that the College’s Banner implementation team lacked proper expertise. Rather than relying on technical subject matter experts, he claims the administration selected individuals viewed as loyal to leadership—even if they lacked sufficient knowledge to configure the system securely. This, he says, contributed directly to the exposure of sensitive data during training.
While Polk State insists the matter has been addressed, it has not released detailed information about the scope of exposure, which individuals had access, or what internal assessments were conducted afterward.
College Says Improvements Are Underway
In response to the data concerns raised in both the training incident and state audits, Polk State says it has implemented a new ERP system that allows for the purging of outdated records. The College is also working with its Registrar’s Office to establish a plan for routine deletion of records older than five years and plans to decommission its legacy Genesis system by the end of fiscal year 2025.
Still, the College has not said whether any external regulatory agencies were contacted to review the incident. When asked, officials stated that because the exposure occurred internally and was identified by an authorized user during training, it did not qualify as a formal security breach.
Questions Still Linger
While Polk State maintains that the situation was handled appropriately and does not constitute a data breach, unanswered questions remain about the scope of internal access. The College has not disclosed how many individuals were part of the “small group” who viewed the data, what specific roles or departments required such access, or whether a formal review determined how much personal information was actually seen. With limited transparency surrounding these details, some uncertainty about the depth of the incident remains.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is conducting a death investigation after a man was fatally hit by a CSX train Tuesday morning, July 15, 2025.
Deputies were dispatched to the railroad tracks south of Norman Lane in Auburndale at approximately 5:32 am.
The victim, identified as 33-year old Steven Dylan Scott of Auburndale, was found deceased with blunt force trauma to his head, torso, and legs.
The investigation determined that the CSX train was traveling east at about 28 mph.
The train’s engineer saw Mr. Scott sitting on the ground, slumped over, with his feet hanging outward over the tracks. The train’s horn was used to warn Mr. Scott of the advancing train, but there was no reaction from him.
Mr. Scott was found to be in possession of a large amount of a crystal-like substances that tested positive for both methamphetamine and fentanyl.
An autopsy was completed by the Medical Examiner’s Office, which showed signs of a possible drug overdose, however the cause and manner of death is pending toxicology results.
Due to the train remaining stopped during the preliminary investigation, Recker Highway was closed near Derby Avenue in Auburndale for approximately three and a half hours.
BARTOW, Fla. (July 14, 2025) – Polk County Public Schools has unveiled new high-tech air traffic control simulators at Bartow Executive Airport, giving local students a unique pathway into aviation careers.
The simulators are part of a new program offered through Traviss Technical College, developed in response to a nationwide shortage of air traffic controllers. The advanced technology was created by UFA, a global leader in simulation and speech recognition technologies, and is designed to deliver real-world training in both normal and emergency flight conditions.
“Polk County is one of the few school systems in the country to have similar training equipment used at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA),” said David H. Wiggs, director of Traviss Technical College. “Our new program is designed to give students an opportunity to enter a career of critical importance and develop the knowledge necessary to become successful air traffic controllers.”
The program uses competency-based tools that allow students to master specific skills before advancing to the next phase. The simulators also offer a cost-effective and safe way to gain hands-on experience in air traffic control operations.
The timing couldn’t be more important. The FAA recently announced incentives to recruit and retain new air traffic controllers, including $5,000 bonuses for trainees and up to $10,000 for those who take positions at some of the hardest-to-staff facilities in the nation. An estimated 3,000 controllers are currently needed to address the staffing shortfall.
David Wolff, CEO of UFA, praised the initiative. “We are proud to partner with Polk County in providing state-of-the-art training to the next generation of aviation professionals. Polk County will join an elite group of programs that can prepare students to join the field of aviation at a truly critical time.”
With this new program in place, Polk County is set to graduate students ready to enter a high-demand field and play a role in maintaining the safety of U.S. airspace.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past decade, you’re probably aware Disney has been remaking its animated movies into live action. So, it was only inevitable that the House of Mouse would remake its first animated feature: Snow White & The Seven Dwarves.
I’d be lying if I said Snow White was the greatest Disney movie of all time. It’s not. Not by a long shot. Sure, it’s notable for being the first animated feature-length film, but otherwise, the movie is rather simple and bland when compared to other Disney animated features.
But credit where it’s due: as simplistic as the story and characters may be, at least the animated Snow White is memorable with memorable characters and songs. It’s a movie people have watched for nearly 100 years, and no doubt, people will still watch it for many more years to come.
The live-action Snow White, on the other hand, is yet another bland, disposable live-action remake in a pile of the company’s other live-action corporate cash grabs. While people will still watch the animated movie for years to come, most likely no one will remember the live-action film a year from now.
But just how bad is the live-action Snow White? Is it so boring that it’ll make you Sleepy? Or is this movie going to make everyone Grumpy?
We all know the story. There’s a princess named Snow White. The evil queen is jealous of her beauty. So, she tries to have the princess unalived. Snow White escapes into the forest. Finds a cottage with seven dwarfs. The queen disguises herself as an old hag. Gives Snow White a poisoned apple. Snow White falls into a deep sleep. A prince drops by to kiss her. She wakes up. And they all live happily ever after. The end.
The live-action film essentially follows the same plot as the original animated feature. However, like most other live-action remakes, Disney has made several changes to make the film longer and more “developed.”
Let’s get one thing straight: the live-action Snow White is bad. However, contrary to the backlash by this movie isn’t bad because it’s “woke.” This movie wasn’t “ruined” because of “wokeness” or “DEI” or any other empty buzzword. This movie is bad because it’s bad.
But before I tear this movie a new one by explaining why it’s bad, allow me to comment on some of the “good” things about the movie.
First, the lead actress, Rachel Zegler. Contrary to some opinions she is not the “worst” thing about this movie. While her performance as the titular Snow White isn’t perfect, it’s quite evident she’s a talented actress making due with the script she was given. She is a Broadway-trained actress with a background in musical theater, after all. And that’s not a pedigree to sneeze at. The girl clearly has acting chops, and she knows how to carry a tune. Again, while her performance wasn’t perfect, it was still rather decent.
Next, the opening act. The original animated movie simply dropped the audience into the story in media res, only offering a few sentences from a storybook to deliver the backstory. In this remake, Snow White’s backstory is more developed. We’re shown her childhood living in her happy kingdom with her mother and father before the evil queen showed up to ruin everything.
And then there’s the opening number. Several new songs were written for the live-action remake. And out of all of them, “Good Things Grow” is probably the only one I’d consider good. It’s a real jovial, toe-tapping number that sets up how good Snow White’s kingdom was before the Evil Queen took over. In fact, it’s one of the best numbers in the films, and one that I enjoyed.
Sadly, it’s the only good song in the movie. And those were the only few good things about it. Everything else? Not so much.
While Rachel’s performance as Snow White was fair, Gal Gadot’s performance as the Evil Queen, on the other hand, like the Queen herself, proved not to be the fairest in the land. You have to feel sorry for Galdot. While her performance as Wonder Woman was superb, her other performances in other movies show she’s not that great of an actress. And whoever said Gal Gadot could sing was lying.
Oh, yes! Gal Gadot sings. The Evil Queen gets her own villain song. But don’t expect a “Poor Unfortunate Souls” or “Be Prepared.” In fact, her song, “All Is Fair,” sounds exactly like what you would get if you fed all of the other Disney villains songs into AI and asked it to create a new song. It’s that generic and unappealing. And Gadot’s lack of singing ability doesn’t help.
Speaking of musical numbers, all of the other original songs aren’t any better. “Waiting on a Wish” also sounds like what you would get if you fed every Disney “I Want” song into AI and asked to make a similar song. It even sounds eerily similar to Moana’s “How Far I Go” mashed up with Wish’s “This Wish.”
“Princess Problems” is so bland and forgettable I even forgot what it was about other than Snow and her prince bickering. And the “Hand Meets A Hand” musical number is essentially a less enthusiastic version of Tangled’s “I See The Light”, even down to the princess and her love interest singing about how much they’ve come to have feelings for each other, all while surrounded by glowing lights.
And let’s talk about the prince character. Evidently, the movie makers wanted to better develop his character, seeing as how the prince in the original animated film didn’t make much of an appearance, let alone say that many lines. So, the good news is that the prince in this version was given a character.
The bad news is that he was given Flynn Ryder’s character from Tangled. I’m not kidding. The “prince” isn’t even a prince in this version. Instead, he’s the leader of a band of robbers who reside in the woods and steal in the name of the King. (Think Robin Hood and his Merry Men!) He’s a charismatic, sarcastic vagabond who doesn’t see the point in doing anything but stealing, only to be encouraged by the main female character that there’s more to him than being a lowly thief.
In other words, he’s Flynn Ryder from Tangled. He even looks like him sans the goatee!
And you know how the prince in the original movie didn’t have a name? Well, this prince—er, theif!—does. His name is Jonathan. Yes, Jonathan. A name so generic and bland you’ll forget what it was, even after he introduces himself.
But perhaps the worst aspect of the movie is the seven dwarves. Remember how the dwarves in the animated movie had unique designs that revealed their characters and personalities without needing to tell you their names? How you could tell Sneezy looked sneezy? Or Sleepy looked sleepy? Or Grumpy looked grumpy?
Well, in the live-action remake, all of the dwarves are CGI abominations straight from the Uncanny Valley with the most generic-looking character designs. And unlike their animated counterparts, whose designs were so unique you could tell who was who without them telling you their names, these computer-animated atrocities need to introduce themselves via song.
Yes, both “Heigh-Ho” and “Whistle While You Work” make a comeback in this movie. And in both cases, both performances are needlessly overblown with bombastic orchestrations and additional lyrics to make them more “cinematic” for live-action.
Returning to the dwarves, originally, and allegedly, Disney had planned to cast little people to play them. But Peter Dinklage got all grumpy (pun intended!) on a podcast, so Disney made them all CGI. That’s disappointing. By trying not to appear offensive toward little people, they robbed actual little people of an opportunity to appear in motion pictures. By trying to be “culturally sensitive”, Disney ended up engaging in cultural erasure.
Overall, if you want to watch a live-action Snow White, consider watching Snow White & The Huntsman or Mirror, Mirror. Neither film is perfect, but they’re sure to be more entertaining than watching Disney’s live-action leftovers. Give Snow White as much attention as the other Disney live-action movies deserve. Which is none!
LAKELAND, Fla. — After receiving multiple citizen complaints, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier reviewed a recent (May 17) free speech confrontation involving conservative commentator Kaitlin Bennett at the Lakeland Downtown Farmers Market and issued a sharply worded letter to Lakeland Downtown Development Authority Executive Director Julie Townsend, concluding that her actions may have violated constitutional protections.
The incident, which was captured on video, shows Townsend confronting Bennett as she conducted political interviews on a public sidewalk. Townsend is heard stating, “I’m just going to disrupt you,” before law enforcement, acting under her direction, issued Bennett a trespass warning.
Uthmeier argues that Townsend’s actions violate both the First Amendment and Article I, Section 4 of the Florida Constitution, which protect free political and religious expression in public forums such as streets and sidewalks.
He cited key U.S. Supreme Court decisions including United States v. Grace, Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, and Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association, which establish that the government cannot suppress speech based on its content or viewpoint. In the letter, Uthmeier described public sidewalks as spaces “historically preserved for expressive activity” and warned that government officials who interfere with such activity may be opening themselves and their agencies up to legal liability.
Florida’s constitution reinforces these protections. Article I, Section 4 states, “Every person may speak, write and publish sentiments on all subjects… No law shall be passed to restrain or abridge the liberty of speech or of the press.” While limited time, place, and manner restrictions may apply, courts have consistently ruled that content-based restrictions are presumed unconstitutional.
Uthmeier also took issue with a follow-up statement from Townsend, in which she wrote that the market strives to remain “free of politics and religion.” He characterized that position as a form of unlawful viewpoint discrimination, emphasizing that discomfort with a message is not grounds for suppression.
“You have no authority to constitutionally stifle these freedoms, secured by the highest law of the land, simply because you don’t like it,” the letter stated.
The Lakeland Downtown Farmers Market has been a central gathering point for families, shoppers, and vendors in the community for years. Townsend has previously explained that her goal was to maintain a family-friendly environment, not to suppress speech. But Uthmeier’s letter makes clear that public space protections override concerns about the tone or content of lawful expression.
This is not the first time Townsend has faced criticism over constitutional concerns. In 2024, she oversaw the installation of downtown security cameras that included facial recognition technology capable of identifying individuals from a database in real time. The move prompted strong backlash from civil liberties advocates, including the ACLU and ACLU of Florida, who warned the technology posed a serious threat to privacy rights. Following that pressure, the facial recognition features were ultimately disabled.
At this time, there is no indication that the Attorney General plans to pursue legal action. His office does not have direct disciplinary authority over local officials such as Townsend, nor can it enforce policy changes at the municipal level without additional steps. However, if similar incidents continue, the Attorney General could seek legal remedies through the courts or support civil litigation on behalf of affected parties.
Editors Note: As a news journalist I take free speech issues seriously. I believe strongly that free speech should be protected. It doesn’t matter if you agree or disagree with the speech. If you’re not breaking the law, you should be allowed to exercise it. Our country is founded on that premise in the first amendment. – Carl
Frostproof, FL – Firefighters from Polk County Fire Rescue responded Saturday afternoon to a working residential structure fire near the intersection of Florida Grackle Court and Lumpkin Road in Frostproof (off Hwy 27).
Structure Fire Near The Intresection of Florida Grackle Court & Lumpkin Road
Squad 21 was the first to arrive on scene and confirmed it was an active structure fire. Multiple other units quickly followed, including fire engines, ladder trucks, and medical response teams.
The fire has since been extinguished, but crews remain on scene to monitor for hot spots and begin overhaul operations. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is also on scene assisting.
No official word yet on the cause of the fire or whether any injuries occurred.
The incident was first received at 2:49 PM, according to dispatch data.
Notice is hereby given that the Southwest Florida Water Management District has received an Environmental Resource Permit application number 886041 from Daniel Oliveira, DGC Development Corp, 601 N Magnolia Avenue, Orlando, FL 32801. Application received: January 10, 2024. Project Name: 0 Bordeau. Project Size: 1.34 +/- acres (58,272.5 sq ft). Location: Lot 7, 8, and 9 in Auburndale, in Polk County. Outstanding Florida Water: No. Aquatic preserve: No.
The application is available for public inspection Monday through Friday at Southwest Florida Water Management District, 7601 Highway 301 North, Tampa, FL 33637-6759. Interested persons may inspect a copy of the application and submit written comments concerning the application. Comments must include the permit application number and be received within 14 days from the date of this notice.
If you wish to be notified of agency action or an opportunity to request an administrative hearing regarding the application, you must send a written request referencing the permit application number to the Southwest Florida Water Management District, Regulation Performance Management Department, 2379 Broad Street, Brooksville, FL 34604-6899 or submit your request through the District’s website at www.WaterMatters.org.
The District does not discriminate based on disability. Anyone requiring accommodation under the ADA should contact the Regulation Performance Management Department at (352) 796-7211 or 1-800-423-1476; TDD only 1-800-231-6103. July 11, 2025 LSAR0076766
Lakeland, Fla. (July 10, 2025) – A fatal traffic crash has shut down a portion of County Road 540A in south Lakeland Thursday night.
According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, the incident occurred near Valleyview Elementary School, prompting a full emergency response. Deputies were dispatched to the scene at approximately 9:58 p.m.
Polk County Fire Rescue also responded to the crash near the intersection of Highway 540A East and Harrells Nursery Road. Emergency units, including Engine 35, were on scene, with additional support en route. The call was officially logged at 10:00 p.m.
As a result of the investigation, 540A is closed in both directions between Harrells Nursery Road and Pollard Road. Authorities are urging drivers to avoid the area while the scene remains active and investigators work to determine the cause of the crash.
No further details about the individuals involved have been released at this time.
Winter Haven, Fla. (July 10, 2025) – Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd will brief the media this afternoon at 1:00 p.m. at the Sheriff’s Operations Center in Winter Haven to announce the arrests and extraditions of two teenagers involved in a dangerous swatting incident that targeted a Poinciana resident.
The two suspects, ages 15 and 14, were located in Connecticut and New York, respectively, and have been brought back to Polk County to face felony charges. Both are accused of making false emergency reports designed to trigger a heavy law enforcement response, an act known as swatting.
According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, the swatting incidents occurred on June 4 and 5. Detectives worked swiftly to identify those responsible, ultimately filing felony charges against both suspects. Through collaboration with out-of-state authorities, the teens were apprehended and extradited to Florida.
Swatting involves falsely reporting violent crimes such as shootings or hostage situations in order to dispatch armed law enforcement to an unsuspecting address. These acts can put lives at serious risk and often require extensive emergency resources.
Sheriff Judd is expected to detail the timeline of events, the nature of the false reports, and the investigative work that led to the arrests.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office continues to take these threats seriously and warns that such actions will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, even when suspects are minors from other states.
