73.9 F
Winter Haven
Wednesday, April 29, 2026
Home Blog Page 255

Local Authors Give 700 Free Books During World of Reading Event 

Allison
-
0
Local Authors Give 700 Free Books During World of Reading Event 

Local Authors Give 700 Free Books During World of Reading Event

by James Coulter

Randy Richburg works at a Publix warehouse. During his off-time, he scribbles down any poem or doodle he randomly thinks about onto a notebook he carries with him. He has since compiled all of his poems and sketches into his book, “A Collection of Short Poems.”

Recently, Randy had the opportunity to share his book of poetry and illustrations during a community event in Lakeland on Saturday. He passed out more than 350 free signed copies of his book to local children and their parents. The fact he was even able to publish his book feels like a major accomplishment.

“This all feels fantastic,” he said. “It still feels surreal. This is the largest event that I have ever done, and I am still new at it. So this has been fantastic, a really good opportunity.”

Randy loved being able to meet potential readers, especially young readers, and share with them his love of drawing and writing. Being able to inspire the next generation of writers and artists felt like quite the honor, he said.

“I enjoy being out here,” he said. “I love the people. They have been supportive and positive, and the Junior League who put this on have been supportive and helpful, so it has been nice meeting all these new people.”

Randy was one of two local authors who passed out free copies of their book during the World of Reading Festival hosted by the Junior League of Greater Lakeland. Shanita Allen, author of the “Let’s Go Dreaming” storybook series, also attended to offer free copies of her books. Together, they passed out 700 free copies.

Shanita recently released the fourth book in her series, “Let’s Go Dreaming: The Famous Ari.” A behavior analyst, Shanita combined her experience in child psychology with her love of writing to write her own storybooks about children exploring their dreams and feelings.

She loved being able to attend the event that morning and offer local children copies of her book to add to their personal collections. She especially loved hearing about how children were inspired to write their own books thanks to her storybook series.

“It feels absolutely amazing,” she said. “I am enjoying meeting new fans and signing and getting the words out about Let’s Go Dreaming. I loved meeting all the children and hearing their stories about how they want to write and become authors.”

Hosted at Barnett Park near Lake Mirror, World of Reading was hosted by the Junior League of Greater Lakeland to encourage childhood literacy. Aside from offering free books by local authors, the event also offered other activities like arts, crafts, face painting, balloon animals, and live music.

The total impact reaches over 1000 children. Each child leaves with at least three free books,” said Nicole Summer, Event Chair. “We have three spotlight tents, there are crafts, each kid will visit each tent and do a craft. After they do that, they will go and see our celebrated reader, and they will receive their copy there.”

The overall beautiful weather that morning drew in a large crowd. They also credited their success to their advertising campaign through Citrus Connection. Overall, the event was a huge success and managed to help them reach their goal of inspiring young children to read.

“I think literacy is always important,” she said. “And so this event focuses on encouraging literacy in our community by providing children with free books. So they can build a home collection or library and be encouraged to read. I think making reading fun is a big deal.”

To learn more about the Junior Leauge and its upcoming events, visit their website at: https://www.jlgl.org/

In Loving Memory Of Austin Velasquez | January 4, 1997 – April 7, 2022

Carl Fish
-
0
In Loving Memory Of Austin Velasquez | January 4, 1997 – April 7, 2022

Austin Nicholas Velasquez

Austin Nicholas Velasquez was born in Lake Wales, Florida on January 4, 1997.

He is survived by his wife Harley Jane Velasquez, parents Christopher and Kimberly Velasquez, brother Cameron Velasquez, paternal grandmother, Annetta Jo Velasquez, maternal grandparents Julia Jordan and William Lamar Robinson and six cousins.

Austin graduated from Avon Park High School in 2015 where he was a member of the wrestling team and National Honor Society. After graduation, Austin attended South Florida State College and pursued a degree in criminal justice. After completing the Criminal Justice Academy in 2018 he began working for the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office. Austin most recently worked as a team member at Anderson Arms in Avon Park manufacturing ammunition. Austin was creative and always found pleasure in creating things with his hands.

On September 19, 2019, Austin married his beautiful high school sweetheart, Harley Shafer in a private ceremony. They lived in Avon Park and cherished spending time together with their family and friends. Austin was an affectionate young man that dearly loved his family as well as his cat, Elon.

Throughout the years Austin enjoyed target shooting, hunting, fishing, snorkeling, riding ATVs and attending church at Grace Bible. He loved going to Halloween Horror Nights in Orlando, watching scary movies with his wife and watching UFC events with his dad.                                                                     

Austin had accepted Jesus Christ as his lord and savior.                               

Jesus called Austin home to become an angel on April 7, 2022 when he died in a fatal car accident in Okeechobee, Florida. He is free now, and although our hearts are broken, we know we will meet again in heaven.

A celebration of his life will be held on April 14, 2022 at 4:00 PM at Grace Bible Church, Sebring.

Polk County Sheriff’s Office coordinates multi-agency year-long “Sex Money Murder” gang racketeering investigation; 41 charged

Carl Fish
-
0
Polk County Sheriff’s Office coordinates multi-agency year-long “Sex Money Murder” gang racketeering investigation; 41 charged

Detectives with the PCSO Organized Crime Unit, working together with the Florida Department of Corrections (FDOC), the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), and the Florida Attorney General’s Office of Statewide Prosecution, Ashley Moody, Attorney General, conducted a comprehensive Florida RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization) Act investigation that resulted in 41 members and associates of the “Sex Money Murder” criminal gang enterprise being arrested or charged. The investigation was initiated in March of 2021 when, based on information obtained from historical on-going criminal investigations, detectives uncovered an extensive criminal network associated with the Sex Money Murder gang. 

Out of the 41 identified during the investigation, 12 are charged with racketeering (see Florida Statutes Chapter 895 Florida RICO—Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization—Act) for their role in directing members in organized criminal activity, such as illegal drug sales, robberies, introduction of contraband into prisons, conspiracy to commit murder, and coordinated attacks on other gang members. The RICO charges are first degree felonies punishable as a life felony based upon specific provisions in FSS 874.04 (Gang-related offenses; enhanced penalties). In some cases, criminal gang members were in the Florida state prison system or in the county jail conducting and coordinating gang business.

The 41 suspects are charged with a total of 121 felonies and 40 misdemeanors. The suspects’ previous criminal histories include 1,147 felonies, 161 misdemeanors, and 205 felony convictions; an average of 28 felonies, 4 misdemeanors, and 5 felony convictions each.

“All you need to know about this gang is in its title: Sex Money Murder. We are not going to put up with these gangs brazenly coordinating and committing crimes in our communities. They are an organized criminal enterprise, ruthlessly focused on violence, theft, fraud, and profiting from the human misery and violence of the illegal drug trade. Our message to other gang members in Polk County and throughout Florida: don’t throw your life away on gangs. If you do, we will catch you, and you will go to prison for a long, long time.” –Grady Judd, Sheriff

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “This massive law enforcement operation eliminated the main state leadership of a notorious, nationwide gang operating across Florida. Our law enforcement heroes put in countless hours and risked their own safety to take down gangsters who demonstrated a complete lack of respect for human life. Because of these officers and my Statewide Prosecutors, we are all safer, and their actions will have far-reaching, positive implications on communities across the state.”

“FDC is proud to work in concert with our law enforcement partners as part of our of public safety mission,” said FDC Secretary Ricky Dixon. “This partnership represents an ongoing effort and our commitment to identifying and preventing criminal activity from occurring within our walls. Our staff is dedicated to ensuring a safe environment for those entrusted to our care and furthering public safety for all Floridians.”

FDLE Commissioner Rick Swearingensaid, “Meticulous investigative work led to the identification of local and statewide gang leadership ensuring this Blood-affiliated criminal gang can no longer terrorize our communities. Thank you to our FDLE agents, Polk County Sheriff’s Office and the Office of Statewide Prosecution for making Florida safer.”

The investigation has been able to identify the ranking structure and numerous members of the gang, operating both inside and outside of prison and in the county jail, in Polk County, in various other areas of the state of Florida, and in North Carolina. Detectives uncovered multiple instances of coordinating crimes, directing and coordinating gang activities, recruitment of new gang members, discussing bond payments, and gang financing, including setting and collecting gang dues.

Detectives served six search warrants throughout the investigation in Lakeland (2), Winter Haven, Mount Dora, Orlando, and Lake City.

Illegal drugs, firearms, and currency seized:

·      21.45 Pounds of Methamphetamine 

·      2,595 grams of cocaine 

·      3,051 grams of cannabis 

·      249 grams of MDMA 

·      719 grams of Synthetic Cannabis 

·      7.86 grams of Fentanyl (one gram can kill hundreds)

·      28 grams of Mushrooms 

·      8 grams of Alprazolam 

·      52 grams of Oxycodone 

·      1846 grams of Promethazine 

·      18 firearms

·      $17,514.00 in US currency

The total street value of the drugs confiscated is over $1.5 million.

Two suspects have warrants for their arrests:

Hernando Thompson, Jr., 36, of Orlando has a Polk County warrant for his arrest forRacketeering (F1), Conspiracy to Racketeer (F1), Directing Criminal Gang Activity (F1) (3 counts). Thompson is the Sex Money Murder gang leader of Florida.

Xavier Ulysse, 27, of Lake Wales has a Polk County warrant for his arrest for Conspiracy to Commit Murder (F1). He attempted to arrange the murder of a gang member who robbed one of the leaders.

Sex Money Murder

The Sex Money Murder gang is a criminal gang which became a subset of The United Blood Nation. The gang was founded by Peter “Pistol Pete” Rollock, who is revered as the “Godfather” of the criminal gang—he is currently serving life in federal prison. The Sex Money Murder gang’s primary focus was initially street-level drug dealing, aggravated assaults, and murders to further their criminal organization. 

As members of Sex Money Murder were arrested and incarcerated, they indoctrinated new members from other regions into the gang who were also in prison. This enabled the gang to spread throughout the east coast and into central Florida as more and more prisoners became members and then were released from prison.

According to the current investigation, in late 2018 and into 2019 and 2020, Polk County, and neighboring counties within the state of Florida began to experience a string of home invasion robberies and other violent and property crimes associated with members of the Sex Money Murder gang. Based on information developed by detectives, a wire investigation was initiated of the identified secretary of Polk County for the Sex Money Murder criminal gang, Cerenia Mixon. This ultimately allowed for the monitoring of communications for the leader of Polk County, Andree Romeus. Information obtained from monitoring those communications ultimately allowed for the monitoring of communications associated with the number one and number two ranking members for the State of Florida, Hernando Thompson and James Roundtree. 

Communications were often heavily coded in an attempt to thwart any efforts to monitor criminal activity. Subsequently, detectives were able to identify a vast network of communications by the Sex Money Murder gang ranging from the street to within various prisons around Florida. Detectives worked with the Florida Department of Corrections to identify inmates and confirm gang affiliations while monitoring communications where instruction and direction was provided from leadership both within the prison and from the leadership on the street on how the gang should operate. Communications also revealed discussions on physical attacks on members in bad standing and an attempt to kill a gang member. 

Florida RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization) Act

In Florida (FSS Chapter 895 Sections 895.01-895.06), a racketeering offense (RICO) occurs when an unlawful organization commits or attempts/solicits/conspires to commit coordinated illegal activities such as murder, money laundering, embezzlement, extortion, weapons offenses, burglary, theft, bribery, and other crimes. In Florida, RICO is charged as a first-degree felony and it can result in 30 years imprisonment and significant monetary fines. In cases related to organized gang crimes in Florida, according to Florida Statute 874.04—Gang-related offenses; enhanced penalties—first-degree felonies can be enhanced to a life felony, meaning for RICO gang crimes the sentence can be up to life in prison upon conviction. 

The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act (RICO) was designed to prosecute individuals engaging in organized crime. A person can be charged with racketeering if they engage in a pattern of racketeering—such as committing at least two racketeering activities within a ten year period. 

The following is a list of those arrested, the circumstances of their arrests, and details of the six search warrants, in chronological order:

May 31, 2019. One arrested:

Quandavize Street, 24, of Lakeland

·      Attempted first degree murder

·      Robbery with a firearm (3 counts)

·      Armed burglary with assault

·      Shooting into an occupied vehicle

·      Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon

·      Possession of ammunition by a convicted felon

·      Introduction of contraband into a jail facility

July 1, 2019. One arrested:

Artavious Smith, 21, of Lakeland

·      Attempted first degree murder

·      Robbery with a firearm (2 counts)

·      Armed burglary with battery

·      Shooting into an occupied vehicle

·      Possession of a firearm by a delinquent

August 6, 2019. One arrested:

Jaquel Fleming, 25, of Auburndale

·      Armed burglary with battery

·      Burglary 

·      Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon

·      Resisting arrest 

·      Leaving the scene of a crash with property damage

·      Fleeing to elude

·      Fleeing to elude – reckless driving

·      Knowingly driving with a suspended license

Undercover operation at 425 Van Fleet Dr. E., Bartow, July 21, 2021. 719 grams of synthetic marijuana was seized. Four arrested:

Marcus Mitchell, 19, of Lakeland 

·      Unlawful use of a two way communication device 

·      Conspiracy to intro contraband into receiving facility 

·      Trafficking synthetic cannabis 

Telly Nance, 34, of Bartow 

·      Unlawful use of a two way communication device 

·      Conspiracy to intro contraband into receiving facility 

Deondre Powell, 25, of Lakeland 

·      Trafficking synthetic cannabis 

·      Unlawful use of a two way communication device 

A male juvenile* was also arrested for possession of marijuana. 

Search warrant at 3625 Kathleen Rd Lot #7, Lakeland, September 24, 2021. Over 20 pounds of methamphetamine, 8 grams of alprazolam, 52 grams of oxycodone, and 1,712 grams of Promethazine were seized. Four arrested:

Dashawn Bather, 25, of Lakeland 

·      Possession of cannabis 

·      Possession of drug paraphernalia 

·      Violation of probation

Laconia Blake, 31, of Lakeland 

·      Trafficking Oxycodone 

·      Possession of alprazolam with intent to sell 

·      Possession of MDMA 

·      Possession of a structure/vehicle to sell narcotics 

·      Possession of drug paraphernalia 

Antoine Cruz, 25, of Winter Haven 

·      Possession of alprazolam with intent to sell 

·      Possession of a structure sell narcotics 

·      Possession of drug paraphernalia 

Destiny Daniels, 28, of Lakeland 

·      Trafficking Oxycodone 

·      Possession of structure/vehicle to sell narcotics 

·      Possession of paraphernalia

October 5, 2021. Two arrested:

Daniel Jackson, 29, of Winter Haven 

·      Possession of cocaine 

·      Aggravated assault on law enforcement (2 counts) 

·      Aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer

·      Resisting arrest with violence 

·      Resisting arrest 

Crameshia Jackson*, 26, of Winter Haven

·      Resisting officer without violence 

October 12, 2021. Over 367 grams of methamphetamine; 160 grams of MDMA pills, 15 grams of marijuana, and one handgun seized. One arrested:

Dornell Anglin, 26, of Haines City 

·      Possession of cannabis with the intent to sale 

·      Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon 

·      Tampering with physical evidence 

·      Resisting arrest 

·      Fleeing to elude 

Undercover operation at 2000 S.R. 60 E., Lake Wales, October 12, 2021. Over 112 grams of methamphetamine, a handgun, and $2,790 seized. One arrested:

Jamarr Cole*, 37, of Lake Wales 

·      Armed trafficking in Methamphetamine 

·      Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon 

·      Grand theft firearm 

·      Carry concealed firearm 

·      Unlawful use of a two way communication device 

·      Possession of paraphernalia

Undercover operation at 131 Scottsdale Loop, Lakeland, October 13, 2021. One arrested:

Jasmine Weber, 28, of Winter Haven

·      Defraud financial institution 

·      Fraudulent use of credit card 

·      Petit theft 

·      Criminal use of personal ID 

Flagler County, October 24, 2021. Two firearms seized (one previously reported stolen. Two arrested:

Maclindell Hardy, 29, of Fayetteville, NC 

·      Grand theft of a firearm

·      Possession of cannabis 20 grams or less

·      No valid DL

Jonathan Fleming, 33, of Wilson, NC 

·      Conspiracy to Racketeer

·      Carrying a concealed firearm

Fleming, the leader of the North Carolina “Sex Money Murder” gang was in Florida attending a mandatory national meeting for the illegal enterprise. The gathering occurred in Osceola County. 

Undercover operation at 1035 Reynolds Rd., Lakeland, December 9, 2021. 0.66 grams of fentanyl seized (one gram can kill hundreds). One arrested:

Carlos Mercado*, 24, of Lakeland

·      Sale of fentanyl 

·      Negligent child abuse 

·      Unlawful use of a two way communication device 

·      Possession of drug paraphernalia 

Undercover operation near the intersection of Reynolds Rd and Ned Engle Blvd., Lakeland, January 4, 2022. Over 7 grams of fentanyl (one gram can kill hundreds), 37 grams of marijuana, and a handgun seized. Two arrested:

Demarrius Faniel*, 30, of Lakeland 

·      Possession of cannabis over 20 grams 

·      Possession of cannabis WITS 

·      Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon 

·      Possession of ammunition by a convicted felon 

·      Possession of paraphernalia 

·      Violation of probation 

Anteria Bell*, 28, of Lakeland 

·      Trafficking in fentanyl 

·      Possession of cannabis over 20 grams 

·      Possession of cannabis WITS 

·      Possession of structure to traffic narcotics 

·      Knowingly driving with a suspended license 

·      Possession of paraphernalia 

Search warrant at 2461 Avenue C SW, Winter Haven, January 7, 2022. Over 90 grams of MDMA, 28 grams of mushrooms, 134 grams of promethazine, 3 grams of methamphetamine, and 249 grams of marijuana were seized. Three arrested:

Danyell Coggins, 47, of Winter Haven 

·      Possession of methamphetamine 

·      Possession of drug paraphernalia 

John Davis, 40, of Winter Haven 

·      Trafficking phenethylamine 

·      Possession of methamphetamine 

·      Possession of cocaine 

·      Possession of heroin 

·      Possession of drug paraphernalia 

·      Possession cannabis over 20 grams 

Wandy Noel, 30, of Winter Haven 

·      Knowingly DWLSR 

Assisted FDOC Probation and Parole Services with a routine probation check at 3655 Peregrine Way, Lakeland, January 31, 2022. Three arrested: 

Horatio Walker, 24, of Lakeland 

·      Racketeering

·      Conspiracy to Racketeer

·      Tampering with a Witness (gang enhanced)

·      Violation of probation 

Raquan Thompson*, 22, of Lakeland 

·      Possession of cannabis 

·      Possession of drug paraphernalia 

Tyreke Thompson*, 20, of Lakeland 

·      Possession of cocaine 

·      Possession of cannabis 

·      Resisting without violence 

·      Possession of drug paraphernalia 

·      Violation of probation 

February 3, 2022. Two arrested:

Kayshia Jenkins*, 35, of Lakeland 

·      Possession of suspended driver’s license 

Kalaysha Wilson, 22, of Lakeland 

·      Possession of cannabis 

·      Possession of drug paraphernalia 

·      Violation of probation 

Undercover operation at 1502 Recker Highway, Winter Haven, February 1, 2022. Over 40 grams of marijuana seized. One arrested: 

Andree Romeus, 30, of Winter Haven 

·      Racketeering

·      Conspiracy to Racketeer

·      Directing Criminal Gang Activity (3 counts)

·      Possession of cannabis over 20 grams 

·      Possession of cannabis WITS 

·      Possession of drug paraphernalia 

·      Possession of a structure to sell narcotics 

·      Knowingly driving with a suspended license 

March 10, 2022. Over 30 grams of marijuana and $4000 seized. One arrested:

Leroy Scarlett, 29, of Bartow 

·      Possession of cannabis over 20 grams 

·      Possession of cannabis WITS 

·      Possession of paraphernalia 

Search warrant at 975 Hyde Park Blvd #201, Lakeland, April 8, 2022. One arrested: 

Cerenia Mixon, 22, of Lakeland 

·      Racketeering 

·      Conspiracy to Racketeer 

·      Directing Criminal Gang Activity (2 counts)

Search warrant at 416 E. Pine Ave, Mount Dora, April 8, 2022Over 512 grams of cocaine, 485 grams of marijuana, and 3 firearms (one was stolen) were seized. One arrested:

Tonisha Fisher, 36, of Mount Dora 

·      Racketeering

·      Conspiracy to Racketeer

Search warrant at 4407 Sugar Loaf Way, Orlando, April 8, 2022. Over 1,535 grams of marijuana and one fully automatic handgun were seized.

The Auburndale Police Department Participates in High Visibility Enforcement Program to Improve Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety

Carl Fish
-
0
The Auburndale Police Department Participates in High Visibility Enforcement Program to Improve Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety

The Auburndale Police Department is continuing its High Visibility Enforcement Program through April and into May. This program, with support of the Florida Department of Transportation, aims to improve road safety for pedestrians and bicyclists through education. 

 

During the program, our department has placed additional officers to monitor Berkley Road, between U.S. Highway 92 and Donovan Drive. This specific area has a high occurrence of pedestrians and bicyclists’ crashes. Special attention will be directed towards increasing awareness of the dangerous behaviors that are contributing to serious and fatal injuries at these locations.

 

Officers have been on the lookout for drivers speeding, failing to stop for pedestrians in crosswalks, conducting improper turns, signal violations, or using hand-held devices while driving. They have been watching for pedestrians who cross the street illegally or fail to yield to motorists who have right-of-way. They have also been looking out for bicyclists who are riding against traffic, riding at night without lights, or not abiding by the same laws as motor vehicles. Officers have been issuing warnings and citations only when appropriate.

 

This goes hand-in-hand with the current Distracted Driving Awareness Month. Whether you are driving a vehicle, bicycling, or walking, please put down your device and focus on where you are going. Additional information about pedestrian and bicycle safety is available at www.alerttodayflorida.com.

Polk Sheriff Grady Judd To Brief Media Along With Attorney General Ashley Moody Regarding Gang Racketeering Arrests

Carl Fish
-
0
Polk Sheriff Grady Judd To Brief Media Along With Attorney General Ashley Moody Regarding Gang Racketeering Arrests

Sheriff Grady Judd will brief the media at 11:00 a.m. today, April 13, 2022 at the Sheriff’s Operations Center (1891 Jim Keene Blvd.) in Winter Haven about a multi-agency, year-long gang racketeering investigation. Ashley Moody, Attorney General, FDOC Secretary Ricky Dixon, and FDLE Special Agent in Charge Mark Brutnell will also speak.

During the investigation, PCSO, along with the Florida Attorney General’s Office of Statewide Prosecution, Ashley Moody, Attorney General, the Florida Department of Corrections, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, charged 41 suspects who are either known gang members or criminal business associates of gang members from Florida and North Carolina. Twelve of the suspects are charged with racketeering.

The 41 suspects are charged with a total of 121 felonies and 40 misdemeanors. The suspects criminal histories include 1,147 felonies, 161 misdemeanors, and 205 felony convictions; an average of 28 felonies, 4 misdemeanors, and 5 felony convictions each.

54 Yr Old Man Killed In Lakeland Motorcycle Crash

Carl Fish
-
0
54 Yr Old Man Killed In Lakeland Motorcycle Crash

A motorcycle and car collided Tuesday morning, April 12, 2022, near Lakeland, and resulted in the death motorcyclist.

Deputies from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office responded to the crash on South Frontage Road at Interstate Commerce Park Boulevard at around 8:49 a.m., along with Lakeland Police Department and Polk County Fire Rescue. 

When units arrived, they found 54-year old Harold Schraenkler, Jr. of Plant City deceased.

Mr. Schraenkler was the driver of a black 2006 Honda CBR motorcycle, and had been wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.

The other driver, Laderrein Johnson, 18, from Bartow, was not injured.

Mr. Johnson was the driver of a white, 1998 Mercedes Benz C230, and was wearing a seat belt.

According to the preliminary investigation, Mr. Schraenkler was driving east on South Frontage Road, and Mr. Johnson was driving westbound.

When Mr. Johnson came to an entrance driveway to the Interstate Commerce Park warehouses, he began to make a left (south) turn onto the driveway. His Mercedes entered the path of Mr. Schraenkler’s motorcycle.

Mr. Schraenkler began braking, leaving a skid mark measuring 130-feet long, leading to the point of collision.

Any civil or criminal charges are pending completion of the investigation which is ongoing.

Frontage Road was closed in both directions for about three hours.

LWCS Asked The Polk County Sheriff’s Office To Do An Administrative Review Regarding Controversial NEEL Program

Carl Fish
-
0
LWCS Asked The Polk County Sheriff’s Office To Do An Administrative Review Regarding Controversial NEEL Program

By Carl Fish

Lake Wales, Florida – On April 4, 2022 the Lake Wales Charter School Board held a special meeting to discuss 3 items. One of those items was the implementation of the National Education Equity Lab (NEEL) dual enrollment class during the first semester of the 2021/2022 school year!

The National Education Equity Lab (NEEL) touts itself in the following manner: “We empower colleges to take a more active role in developing and inspiring the next generation of leaders. In partnership with pioneering universities including Howard, Princeton, Stanford, Wharton, University of Pennsylvania, Wesleyan, Cornell, Georgetown, Arizona State University, Barnard and Harvard (inaugural course), we deliver and support online college credit-bearing courses into teacher-led high school classrooms across the country. By enabling high school students from historically underserved communities to take actual college courses from college professors, students can build the skills — and confidence — needed to apply to and thrive in college. Participating students earn widely-transferable college credits, at no cost to them — and have access to mentorship and hands-on support.” (Link to National Education Equity Lab: https://edequitylab.org)

The program was first suggested by a Henry McCance, board member of the Lake Wales Charter School Foundation. He did so in an email that appears self explanatory. Here is a copy of that email:

During the teaching of the dual enrollment course it was determined by a LWHS teacher working with course that a certain reading assignment had storylines with cartoon drawings of items which many would consider pornographic. This teacher immediately brought it to Ms. Donna Dunson, LWHS Principal. Principal Dunson advised the board, in the April 4th meeting, that students were advised they did not have to do those two assignments. Within 24 hrs Principal Dunson reached out by email to the NEEL program to express her concerns with these particular items in the course material. She did not cancel the program outright as it would have been unfair to pull the whole course when it only had a few weeks remaining.

The board at one point asked Robin Gibson if they had any say in the curriculum. Gibson’s eventual reply is that they did not. It’s since been revealed that the board may have had the ability to have impute on this matter.

In the April 4, 2022, LWCS Board meeting board member Rusty Ingley made a motion that the board do a third party administrative investigation to look into “what happened from beginning to end”. The board unanimously agreed to that motion.

According to an email sent by LWCS Board Chairman, Danny Gill, on April 8th (to the Daily Ridge) which was a previous email to Dr Rodolfich on April 7, 2022 he advised the following: “I’m not sure if you watched the special board meeting last Monday but I wanted to give you an update. The Board had many concerns and questions regarding Donna Dunson’s implementation and lack of vetting process of the material used for the NEEL fall course. The Board was not aware of the program being implemented until late in the semester and the use of inappropriate material. The Board was appalled and voted to have an independent administrative investigation regarding the internal control breakdown at the high school. The administrative investigation will most likely be conducted by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and the material was turned over to them. The hope is that the breakdown can be investigated, identified and measures put in place to make sure this never happens again. I do not have a timeline on the process but feel that their department is very efficient.” The complete email is here:

The Daily Ridge reached out to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office regarding their department doing administrative investigations. They advised from time to time the do get requests from school boards, city commissions and other agencies to do administrative investigations. When particularly asked about this investigation we were advised they are not doing this investigation, per Scott Wilder, Director of Communications.

The Daily Ridge has reached back out to the charter school board acting superintendent Alricky Smith to find out if they have an alternative to the Sheriff’s department to do this investigation.

We will update if we are advised in the next step of the investigation process.

Tech Tuesday: Protect Yourself From Malware

Staff Reporter
-
0
Tech Tuesday: Protect Yourself From Malware

By Kip Kirchberg

Seems that everyday you see something in the news about the latest cybercrime activity — leaked emails, viruses, stolen funds, crypto ware and more. You can take practical steps to protect yourself and your company from falling victim to Cyber Attacks that leverage Malware or Ransomware.

Malware is short for “malicious software.” It is a program or file designed to be disruptive, invasive and harmful to your computer.

man with tablet which see emails and alert message with the word malware / hands of a man looking inbox in tablet with a malware message

Types of malware include viruses, spyware, adware and worms. Malware is most frequently transmitted through e-mail attachments, Instant Messages (IM), peer-to-peer downloads, phishing and misleading web sites.

Virus outbreaks cause harm by destroying data on infected computers and/or by increasing network traffic by triggering e-mail messages that carry the virus to all e-mail addresses in an address book or a random combination of addresses.

Ransomware is a type of malware that is designed to block access to all or part of a computer system until a sum of money (Bitcoin) is paid. Think of attacks like Colonial Pipeline or JBS Foods.

Worried Businessman Looking At Computer With Ransomware Word On The Screen At The Workplace

Because attackers are looking to maximize their payday, the targets are typically larger entities (departments, colleges, businesses) that not only are likely to have the funds, but also experience a significant loss when they cannot access their systems.

Individuals are still a target of ransomware because they can be a doorway into a large organization’s systems.

Prevention

When it comes to preventing or detecting ransomware, there is no silver bullet.

Traditional security software uses a Blacklist Antivirus approach, which is a list of all known malicious files, and prevents them from running.

There is a better option, software like PC Matics Super Shield can help protect your computers from potential Malware or Ransomware by using what is called Application White Listing.

With Application Whitelisting security software, there is no malware or ransomware victim.

Only tested, safe programs and files can run, thereby protecting your computer, laptop, mobile device or business network from unauthorized access. With whitelisting, a user has complete peace of mind when it comes to data protection and internet security.

Link to Protect Yourself From Malware Slide Here

Kip Kirchberg is an International Cyber Security Expert who has experience building Cyber Security Teams and working with Multiple Fortune 500 organizations. Experience includes but is not limited to Building SIEM platforms, Endpoint Security, 3rd Party Remote Access, Industrial Control System’s NextGen Firewall’s, Helping Organizations Identify Cyber Security Risks, Generating Reports that lead to actionable data, Build and maintain Incident Response Team’s, Draft and Adopt Corporate Cyber Security Governance, Internal and External Pen Testing, plus much more….

If you are looking for a better solution to protect your endpoints, have a need for remote management, need visibility into pc performance, or would like to capture pc software inventory I can help provide a solution for you.

Please reach out and request your free Cyber Security Consultation. I will be glad to discuss options, schedule a Demo, and help you find a solution that will work best for your environment.

You can reach me at 863-734-8060 or at [email protected]

28 Yr Old Lakeland Man Killed In Sunday Morning Crash

Carl Fish
-
0
28 Yr Old Lakeland Man Killed In Sunday Morning Crash

On Sunday, April 10, 2022, at approximately 7:45 a.m., officers responded to a traffic crash near the 2900 block of West Memorial Boulevard. Just prior to the crash, a semi-truck with trailer was stopped inside the safety lane, facing eastbound with its hazard lights activated. At the same time, a 2018 Nissan Frontier truck was traveling eastbound on West Memorial Boulevard when for unknown reasons, the driver left his lane of traffic and traveled into the safety lane. The Nissan truck struck the stopped semi-truck and became lodged underneath the rear of the trailer. 

The Lakeland Police Department Patrol Unit, Polk County Fire Rescue, and the Lakeland Fire Department all arrived on the scene and began to provide life-saving measures. The driver of the Nissan truck, 28-year-old Devin Robert Henkel, was pronounced deceased at the scene by medical personnel. The driver of the semi-truck, 60-year-old Ross Allen Green, was not injured as a result of the crash.

Members of the Traffic Homicide Unit responded to the scene and took over the investigation. The roadway was shut down for approximately five hours while the scene was processed for the ongoing investigation. If anyone has any additional information regarding the crash, please contact investigating Officer Tyler Anderson at [email protected]. 

The driver of the Nissan truck:

Devin Robert Henkel

Age: 28

Lakeland, FL 

Deceased

The driver of the Semi Truck:

Ross Allen Greene

Age: 60

Floral City, FL

Bridal by Crown Celebrates Grand Opening

Allison
-
0
Bridal by Crown Celebrates Grand Opening

Bridal by Crown Celebrates Grand Opening

by James Coulter

Looking for a beautiful wedding gown to wear on your big day but you’re strapped for time and money? No worries! Just drop into Bridal by Crown in Plant City. You can browse through more than 250 dresses to find the one you’re looking for, try it on, and buy it on the same day. Best of all, they are all designer gowns under $1,499.

The overall experience is the boutique’s biggest selling point. No need to wait for measurements or alterations. Just try and buy! The store itself can accommodate up to five brides and their guests at a time. And they can all spend quality time looking through dresses. Most brides-to-be start by trying on six or seven dresses, but some have gone through at least 20, explained Crystal Brown, co-owner with her partner, Leslie Wendt.

“We really pride ourselves at making this experience the best that it can be,” Brown said. “[We love] helping them find the perfect fit for them and make it the perfect day for them.”

Brown and her husband own and operate Crown Entertainment, through which they have coordinated weddings, serving as disk jockeys and taking photographs. Many of the brides they served were searching for the right dress to wear on their wedding day. So Crystal decided to take the opportunity to open a wedding dress boutique.

Her partner, Wendt, has nearly a lifetime’s experience in creating custom bridal wear. She grew up with her mother, who designed and sewed wedding gowns and dresses. By the time she had her wedding, her mother decided to switch careers, and Wendt decided to step up in her place.

“Whenever I got married, she said enough was enough and she could not custom make them anymore, so now she does alterations,” she said.

Wendt soon partnered with Brown to start their business together. They have since moved to their new location in Plant City, where they have resided since last July. They recently celebrated their grand opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by the Plant City Chamber of Commerce.

“We are very excited to welcome Bridal by Crown in the Plant City community,” said Christine Miller, President and CEO. “They are bringing a new industry to the city. We hope they will do very well, and that they will be very successful.”

Brown was amazed by the overall turnout. She was grateful that the local community has welcomed her and her partner with open arms, and that the Chamber has offered them much support and assistance. She has high expectations that they will not only do well, but eventually branch out into other locations.

“We are so thankful for our families and how much support they give us and also the community. Plant City is such a wonderful place to live and work and raise our children, and we could not be any more thankful to have all of that all-in-one place,” she said. “We are really hoping to expand…[and] in looking to expand, we want to double the inventory at least.”

Bridal By Crown is located at 110 W Reynolds St Suite 107, Plant City, FL 33563. The boutique is by appointment only. For more information, call 813-652-8131, or visit bridalbycrown.com.

1...254255256...837Page 255 of 837

Advertise

Links

Stay connected

© 2021 WinterHavenDaily.com | All rights reserved.