Bring your little ones for a special MLK Storytime as we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through engaging stories, crafts, and activities!Date: Tuesday, January 14 Time: 3pm – 4:30Pm Location: Winter Haven Public Library
325 Ave A NW in Winter Haven
This fun and educational event is perfect for kids of all ages to learn about Dr. King’s message of love, equality, and kindness.
Activities include: -Story readings inspired by Dr. King read by author Matthew Hale -Creative crafts to take home -Interactive fun for the whole family
Admission is free, so come and join the celebration of unity and hope!
I grew up during the Console Wars of the 1990s. Back then, the big divide was between Sega and Nintendo. My first game console was a Super Nintendo, so I was squarely on the side of Nintendo.
But even though I was raised on Mario, I still had an affinity for Sonic. My friend at the time had a Sega Genesis, which we would play together when I visited their house. I was enamored with the super-fast blue hedgehog running at the speed of blast processing.
Now, nearly 40 years later, it seems as though the console wars have been revived. Only instead of games played on the small screen, both Mario and Sonic have transitioned to the big screen with their own movies. Of course, while the red plumber has one, the blue hedgehog now has three.
But how is the third installment of the Sonic film franchise? Does it have the hedgehog rolling around at the speed of sound? Or will he have to live and learn not making it to the end of the level?
Sonic 3 takes place one year after the events of the last two films. Sonic and his friends are celebrating his birthday when a new threat rears its head—and strangely enough, it looks like a darker version of the blue hedgehog.
Shadow is his name, and with the aid of not only Dr. Ivo Robotnik, but also the doctor’s long-lost grandfather, Dr. Gerald Robotnik, he has his evil eyes set on unlocking a super weapon to—you guessed it!—destroy the world! Will Sonic stop his dark doppelganger in time?
I’ve watched many films last year. Some were great (The Beekeeper and Deadpool & Wolverine). Some were bad (Harold and the Purple Crayon and Madame Web). And others were bland and boring (Despicable Me 4 and Kung Fu Panda 4). So, when I decided to end the year by watching one last film, I was thoroughly surprised to watch a movie that was…pretty good.
Sonic 3 essentially delivers what you want to see in a Sonic movie: our favorite blue hedgehog going super-fast and fighting evil machines and bad guys. And it delivers it pretty well. It’s an entertaining movie which, while not superbly profound, was still a fun movie to watch.
This movie adapts the Shadow storyline from Sonic Adventure 2 on the Sega Dreamcast, later released for the Nintendo GameCube. Shadow is a dark clone who was created by GUN for his super powers. His only friend was a young girl named Maria who met with a tragic fate. Placed into stasis and awakened 50 years later, he now sets on to avenge her.
If you understood any of that, congratulations! You understand the basic premise of this movie, and you will no doubt be pleasantly surprised as to how faithfully this movie adapts this nearly 30-year-old storyline. Certainly helping matters is Keanu Reeves’ performance, which flawlessly captures the dark hedgehog’s dark and brooding personality.
Jim Carrey returns again to not only reprise his role as the Mad Doctor Robotnik, but also as his long-lost grandfather, Dr. Gerald Robotnik. As always, Carrey does an excellent job of hamming it up as a hammy villain. And his entire dual performance as two mad doctors certainly delivers a real ham and cheese sandwich.
The Sonic movies are not profound cinema. They were never meant to be. They’re film adaptations of a popular video game franchise created to entertain little children and Sonic fans. And, well, these movies certainly succeed at doing just that. Sonic 3 was no exception. It’s a pretty good movie in a pretty good film series. And that’s…well, pretty good.
In December, Tanners Lakeside announced an exciting update about their business operation. Paul Diakomihalis would be joining the team as its newest operations partner.
Here is the message from Tanners Lakeside: “Hello everyone! We have a special announcement-Joining our team as an Operations Partner is Paul Diakomihalis. We are excited to have Paul join our team and help bring your waterfront dining experience to a new level of service and food. Please look for future updates soon.”
Diakomihalis has been working with Tanners for the past few weeks and he shared his excitement about the opportunity.
“I’m overwhelmed with gratitude for the warm welcome I’ve received as the new Operations Partner at Tanners Lakeside,” he said.
He added, “The past three weeks have been incredible and I’m thrilled to hear that the changes we’ve implemented have been well-received.
Your feedback has been invaluable and I’m so glad to know that you’re enjoying the enhancements we’ve made. I’m committed to continuing this momentum and taking Tanners Lakeside to the next level…!!
My goal is to provide top tier customer service and unforgettable dining experience for each and every one of you.
I’m dedicated to working tirelessly to ensure that every visit exceeds your expectations.”
Tanners and Diakomihalis thank the community for the support and kindness. Diakomihalis is honored the be a part of the Tanners team.
Tanners Lakeside is located at 1006 S Lake Howard Drive in Winter Haven.
On January 7, 2025 a 911 call came in around 12:10 p.m. for a vehicle crash on Havendale Blvd and 34th St NW in Winter Haven.
Polk County Fire Rescue, Polk County Sheriff’s Office and Winter Haven Fire Department responded to the scene.
Nathaniel Gale, Polk County Fire Rescue’s Public Information Officer confirmed they are currently evaluating one patient, but haven’t transported anyone yet. If this changes, we will update the article.
Brian Bruchey, Polk County Sheriff’s Office’s PIO said it was reported that a semi and sedan (unconfirmed at this time) were involved in the crash. One vehicle caught fire.
Havendale is currently shut down. This is an active scene at the time of publication. Please avoid the area if possible.
City of Auburndale- CSX Transportation’s Track Maintenance Project includes several railroad crossings through Auburndale during the week of January 13, 2025 that will require temporary closures:
Tempsford Rd – Closing on/around the Week of Jan. 13, 2025
Pilaklakaha Ave – Closing on/around the Week of Jan. 13, 2025
W. Bridgers Ave – Closing on/around the Week of Jan. 13, 2025
McKean St. – Closing on/around the Week of Jan. 13, 2025
Magnolia Ave – Closing on/around the Week of Jan. 13, 2025
W. Deby Ave – Closing on/around the Week of Jan. 13, 2025
Crossings will be closed anywhere from 2 days to 5 days, depending on the maintenance type.
For more information, please contact CSX Transportation by visiting https://www.csx.com/index.cfm/about-us/contact-us/contact-us-crossing-closure/
Lakeland, Florida – Yesterday afternoon United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced the indictment and arrest of Stephen Andrew Leedy (59, St. Petersburg) on three counts of production of child sexual abuse material and two counts of coercing or enticing a minor to engage in sexual activity. If convicted on all counts, Leedy faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison. According to the indictment and court documents, Leedy, a palliative care doctor in the Tampa Bay area, including limited treatment privileges at Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center in Polk County, utilized the username “maximumuncle#9112” to sexually exploit and victimize approximately ten minors online. In online conversations and video chats, Leedy instructed the minors to produce sexually explicit images of themselves and directed them to cut, choke, and hang themselves. In November 2021, Minor Victim 1 was discovered deceased, having hanged herself in front of her phone in a manner consistent with instructions Leedy had previously provided her.
In a statement to the Daily Ridge, Timothy J. Regan, MD, President of Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center and Chief Medical Officer of Lakeland Regional Health, addressed Dr. Leedy’s limited association with the hospital and outlined the hospital’s swift actions in response to this tragic news:
“We are deeply troubled to learn of the recent arrest of Dr. Stephen Leedy. Dr. Leedy is not, and never has been, employed by Lakeland Regional Health and there is no record of Dr. Leedy ever treating patients at our hospital. Through his affiliation with an outside hospice organization, he had limited consulting staff privileges for adult-only hospice and palliative care and was not on the active medical staff. These privileges at our hospital were relinquished immediately upon notification of his arrest.”
The US Attorney would go on to say:
“An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Pasco Sheriff’s Office and the FBI – Tampa Office, with assistance from St. Petersburg Police Department, FBI – Atlanta Office, and the Holly Springs Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Abigail K. King and Ilyssa M. Spergel.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.”
This is a developing story and if any further information comes to light we will update this article.
Lance Closure Notice Ave. O SE between First St and 3rd St SE will have one lane closed for sidewalk construction starting Thursday, Jan. 9 thru Jan. 13 2025. Drivers will find delays and should consider an alternate route during the construction.
Yes! 2024 has come and passed, and 2025 is now upon us. And last year was…well, it was certainly a year. I’ll say that much.
Personally, last year was a rough one for me. And the last few years have especially been rough. I won’t go into personal details. Let’s just say last year placed circumstances on me that forced me to move from my home in Florida.
However, two things have provided me light in these dark times: my family and my work. Yes, I can safely and honestly say I’ve truly been blessed to be employed by the Daily Ridge. They have been so good to me ever since I started working for them.
And they have proven to be a major blessing during my big move. Not only have they permitted me to continue working for them remotely, but they have allowed me to accomplish so much more than when I was living in Florida.
This fact has especially been proven true with my work on the Chattin on the Ridge podcast, which has reached a major milestone with its 50th episode being released last month. Hard to believe that what started as a side project nearly two years ago has grown to become a massive feature.
Last year allowed me to create some of my favorite episodes of the podcast. Without a doubt, my most shining accomplishment was being able to interview our own Honorable Sheriff Grady Judd. My chat with him at the Polk County Sheriff’s Office was one of my proudest moments, and it made for perhaps our podcast’s most listened-to episode.
Yet perhaps my favorite podcast episode was with fellow movie critic Jennifer Nanek as we discussed our top picks for the best and worst movies of 2023. As many of you know, I also write movie reviews. So being able to bounce my opinions about the latest films with another critic was quite a pleasurable experience.
I enjoyed a similar experience later that year in May, when I celebrated May the Fourth with a special episode with Syfy Bartow’s Sean Serdynski and local Star Wars enthusiast Ken Heavenridge. While that episode was, admittedly, not my best (I have a self-conscious hatred of my own voice, so I hated how I sounded in that episode, plus editing more than an hour’s worth of audio recording was a pain!), overall, it was fun being able to chat about Star Wars with two other geeks.
As for articles, my favorite assignment last year, without a doubt, was my coverage of Central Florida Comic Con in Lakeland. I had the honor and pleasure of interviewing many famous celebrities, many of whom helped create the media I watched and enjoyed as a kid.
Such notable figures included Tom Ruegger and Paul Rugg, the creators behind such classic cartoons like Animaniacs and Tiny Toon Adventures (I even have an autographed pin from Rugg), Dan Green and Eric Stuart, the voice actors of Yugi and Kaiba from the anime Yu-Gi-Oh!, and perhaps the biggest name of them all, Tom Kenny, the voice actor for SpongeBob SquarePants.
Another favorite article of mine was my coverage of the fundraiser Rockin’ on the Chain. I’ve covered that event for many years, but that year’s event allowed me to return to Polk County with my first business trip. Being able to come back to my old home to help cover the event was quite a delightful privilege, and I hope to be able to have that privilege once more.
Undoubtedly, one of my bigger and newer developments was with helping edit our new Weather on the Ridge segments with our resident meteorologist Omar Gonzalez. The two of us did a phenomenal job tracking the weather with Hurricane Milton last October. Truly, one of the few instances where I was glad not to be living in Florida anymore.
Of course, none of the good work I do for the Daily Ridge would be possible without the support of my employers, Carl Fish and Kip Kirchberg. Both of them have been more than just my bosses. They have almost been like family to me, and they consider me part of their family as well.
So, it really meant something when my editor Carl Fish wrote the following about me on Facebook, especially when it was written during a time when I was feeling especially down and depressed:
“We hit a milestone with our Chattin On The Ridge with J.C. Publication: 50 Episodes! Thankful for James Coulter who conducts interviews, writes and edits all the content including the jingles and advertisements. Many of you know that James is on the autism spectrum, but that in no way means a negative. He is an amazing person. You could not know he has autism and you would be amazed. He is an award-winning journalist, written novels, song writer, content publisher, podcaster and still finds time to experiment with cooking and doing movie reviews! Simply one of the best human beings I know!”
Thank you very much Carl! I appreciate working with such a great editor and publisher as yourself.
Overall, while last year may not have been the best for me personally, it did allow me to create some of my best content. And I hope this year will allow me to become even better.
So adios, 2024! And here’s hoping 2025 proves to be slightly better.
Polk County Parks and Recreation’s Rec@Home kits for January are all about the winter season! Activity kit registration is free, but there is a limit of 500 participants. ONE registration per household.
Our Rec@Home kits are packed with fun for your little explorers to do at home! Each kit will include the following free activities:
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office arrested 28-year-old Dylan Kennedy of Winter Haven for DUI and DUI with property damage on Saturday, January 4, 2025.
On Saturday, January 4, 2025, deputies were dispatched to an automated crash alert received by the Emergency Communications Center (9-1-1) at the entrance of the Bridgeport Lakes subdivision in Mulberry. When deputies arrived on scene, they observed Kennedy in his vehicle; he appeared to have just crashed into the exit sign of the subdivision. Upon making contact with Kennedy, they observed signs of impairment and requested PCSO Traffic Unit deputies to respond to conduct a DUI investigation.
Kennedy showed nearly maximum signs of impairment in all field sobriety tests. An on scene breathalyzer test was administered (twice) which revealed his blood alcohol content (BAC) to be 0.137 g/L and 0.139 g/L, respectively. The suspect told deputies that he was in the subdivision for a party, and that he consumed five (5) shots of alcohol at the party. He also repeatedly told deputies that he was a Florida Department of Corrections Officer at the Hardee Correctional Institution, and that this arrest was going to cost him his job.
“Dylan Kennedy was arrested for driving under the influence with a significantly high blood alcohol level. This reckless behavior is unacceptable and puts our community at risk. Not only did he choose to drive intoxicated, but he hit a sign, which could just as easily have been a person.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff
Dylan Kennedy was arrested for DUI (M2) and DUI with property damage (M1). Please direct any questions about his employment to the State of Florida Department of Corrections.
