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Traffic Advisory: PCSO Traffic Unit is working a Serious Crash on Commonwealth Ave

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Traffic Advisory: PCSO Traffic Unit is working a Serious Crash on Commonwealth Ave

UPDATE to traffic crash in Polk City – Commonwealth and Deen Still are open to traffic at this time.

TRAFFIC ADVISORY: The PCSO Traffic Unit is working a serious crash on Commonwealth Avenue (AKA SR 33) at Deen Still Road, in Polk City, involving a vehicle fire. The roadways in that area are shut down at this time. Please use an alternate route until further notice.

 

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Bartow High School On Lockdown Heavy Police Presence in the Area

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Bartow High School On Lockdown Heavy Police Presence in the Area

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UPDATE: 2:45  Bartow Police Officers, with help from Polk County Sheriff’s Office searched the entire school grounds for a possible weapon. No weapon was found. Students will be released in an orderly fashion, officers and deputies will be on standby until all students have safely left the school.

UPDATE 2:25 PM –

Bartow high school is currently on lockdown in reference to an unconfirmed report of a student with a concealed gun. Bartow Police are on scene and detectives are currently investigating this unconfirmed information. There has been NO information, at this point, that any students were threatened or approached by the subject directly.

Bartow Police and Polk County sheriff’s office are on campus and will remain until this event reaches a conclusion. Updates will be released as available.

Information about the status of the lockdown or updates regarding today’s release schedule will be released by the school board when available.

 

UPDATE 2:12 PM – It is confirmed that Bartow High School, IB, Summerlin, and The Middle School are on lockdown due to possibled weapon on campus.  Search is underway and students are safely locked in their classrooms.

UPDATE:  More Reports coming in that All Schools in the surrounding area are on lockdown for a search of weapons on campus.  We will bring you more as it becomes available.

Original Release:

We have reports that Bartow High School may be on lockdown and there is a heavy police presence in the area. Please stay safe and we will bring you more information as it becomes available.

Lake Wales Library Association – Friends of the Library host “Patrick Smith’s Florida: A Land Remembered” Show

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Lake Wales Library Association – Friends of the Library host “Patrick Smith’s Florida: A Land Remembered” Show

Lake Wales Library Association – Friends of the Library host “Patrick Smith’s Florida: A Land Remembered” Show

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Florida author Patrick Smith’s son, Rick, will present a unique multimedia show honoring his father and the experiences that led him to write his beloved novels.  Highlighted in the show will be Smith’s popular saga of Florida pioneers, “A Land Remembered”.

Rick Smith’s show combines his own quirky brand of humor and storytelling with videos, photos, music and visual effects to bring the life of Patrick Smith into focus in a fascinating way.

Sponsored by the Lake Wales Library Association – Friends of the Library and the Jahna Foundation “Patrick Smith’s Florida” begins at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, March 9, at the Polk State College – Lake Wales Arts Center’s Updike Hall, 1099 State Road 60 East, Lake Wales.

The show will follow the opening reception of a new exhibition, La Florida, featuring the works of Blair Updike and Kerry Vosler.  The La Florida exhibition is in the Michael Crews Gallery; the opening reception begins at 5:00 p.m.

The family-friendly show is free and open to all and is a 2017 Lake Wales Centennial Program, celebrating 100 years of Lake Wales’ Heritage.

For information call 863-678-4004 or email [email protected].

Exploring Florida’s History through Children’s Literature: Lois Lenski’s Strawberry Girl

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Exploring Florida’s History through Children’s Literature: Lois Lenski’s Strawberry Girl

Exploring Florida’s History through Children’s Literature: Lois Lenski’s Strawberry Girl

 strawberry-girl

In 1945 children’s author, Lois Lenski, wrote the fictional account of a Polk County childhood in her Newbery award-winning book, Strawberry Girl.  The book tells the story of ten-year-old, Birdie Boyer, who moved to western Polk County with her family.  The Boyer’s adventures and mishaps in Florida’s harsh backwoods are described through Birdie’s eyes.

 

Two special March library programs will focus on this classic children’s novel.

 

The Lake Wales Library Association – Friends of the Library will host “An Afternoon with Lois Lenski & Strawberry Girl”, 2:30 p.m., Sunday, March 19.  Anna Cotton will portray Lenski and Nicole Curtis will perform as Birdie Boyer, Strawberry Girl.  Their program will include conversations and fictional shared correspondence between Miss Lenski and Strawberry Girl.

 

Woven into the program is a history of Florida in the mid-20th Century for Polk County poor farmers.

 

The Lake Wales Public Library’s Youth Services Department will hold a Family Book Discussion focusing on “Strawberry Girl”, 5:30 p.m., March 14.  Free paperback copies of “Strawberry Girl” are available to young readers and their families with participation in one or both programs.  The books are available in the Lake Wales Public Library’s Children’s Library, one free copy per family.  Children and their families can register for the Family Book Discussion and the Strawberry Girl program.

 

“Exploring Florida’s History through Children’s Literature: Lois Lenski’s Strawberry Girl” is a family-friendly program for all ages.  It is free and open to all and is a 2017 Lake Wales Centennial Program, celebrating 100 years of Lake Wales’ Heritage.

 

The Lake Wales Library Association – Friends of the Library, sponsors both programs.  For more information call 863-6748-4004 or email [email protected].

Cooking on the Ridge: Ham and Broccoli Bake

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Cooking on the Ridge: Ham and Broccoli Bake

Ham and Broccoli Bake

baked-pasta

Ingredients

Directions

Prep 15 m

Cook 45 m
Ready In 1 h

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
  2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil; cook the pasta in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender but not mushy, about 10 minutes. Drain.
  3. Thaw the broccoli in a microwave oven until you can break it apart into small pieces.
  4. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat; cook and stir the diced ham in the hot oil until the edges start to brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in the broccoli and cook and stir until any excess water has cooked away and the ham and broccoli are hot. Pour in the jar of Alfredo sauce and the milk; stir to blend, sprinkle with pepper, and add the cooked pasta. Stir everything together to coat the pasta with sauce and bring to a simmer.
  5. Spread the bubbling pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish, top with shredded Colby-Monterey jack cheese, and bake in the preheated oven until the casserole is hot and the cheese is melted and starting to brown, about 30 minutes.

Polk Vision Participates in Safer Internet Day

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Polk Vision Participates in Safer Internet Day
Polk Vision Participates in Safer Internet Day
 
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LAKELAND – Polk Vision’s Smart Communities Team is recognizing Safer Internet Day through social media. Team leaders are encouraging the public to participate in the national initiative on Feb. 7.
ConnectSafely,org, the U.S. coordinator for the celebration, is offering a variety activities to get involve, including sharing the #onegoodthing hashtag to help grow a better internet. Polk Vision will post on its Facebook page a series of activities and prompts to encourage followers to participate in the nationwide event. The social media posts will also help promote the organization’s Smart Communities Team.
“Being a Smart Community is about high speed affordable Internet access. But it is more than that. It is also about being “smart” and educated on safe Internet use and security,” said Terry Brigman, the City of Lakeland’s Director of Information Technology and co-chair of the Smart Communities Team.
The Smart Communities Team facilitates opportunities to ensure every individual, corporation, non-profit, visitor, government entity and community partner has access to affordable high-speed internet services.
Starting as an initiative of the EU Safe Borders project in 2004 and taken up by the Insafe Network as one of its earliest actions in 2005, Safer Internet Day has grown beyond its traditional geographic zone and is now celebrated in more than 100 countries worldwide, and across all continents.
From cyberbullying to social networking, each year Safer Internet Day aims to raise awareness of emerging online issues and chooses a topic reflecting current concerns. This year’s national theme is ‘Be the change: Unite for a better internet.’
Hiep Nguyen, the City of Winter Haven’s chief information officer of Technology Services, said one way people can ensure a safer internet is to do a better job of protecting their passwords. Passwords are like underwear and they shouldn’t be lying around, Nguyen said.
ConnectSafely.org will offer a lifestream event on Safer Internet Day at 9 a.m. eastern time. To watch, visit http://saferinternetday.us/livestream/.

Florida Scrub-Jays Will Be In The Spotlight at Feb. 18 Festival

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Florida Scrub-Jays Will Be In The Spotlight at Feb. 18 Festival
Florida scrub-jays will be in the spotlight at Feb. 18 festival
scrubjay
Picture a light gray-brown bird with a bright blue head, wings and tail. That’s how you can recognize the Florida scrub-jay, the only bird that lives nowhere else but in Florida.
Come celebrate this songbird at the 8th annual Florida Scrub-Jay Festival on Saturday, Feb. 18, atJonathan Dickinson State Park, about 12 miles south of Stuart on U.S. 1.
From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the festival will offer guided walks, exhibits, swamp buggy and hay rides, kids’ activities, entertainment and food. There will be an opportunity to meet Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) staff and partners that are helping conserve this threatened species. The FWC is one of the festival’s organizers.
The Florida scrub-jay is distinctive because of its unusually cooperative family lifestyle.
“The Florida scrub-jay lives in family groups composed of a breeding pair that mates for life and its offspring. Young scrub-jays often stay with their parents for one or more years and act as helpers to defend the family’s territory and raise young. Breeding pairs with helpers successfully raise more young than lone pairs,” said Craig Faulhaber, the FWC’s avian conservation coordinator.
“Because Florida scrub-jays are very territorial and don’t migrate, people may get the chance to watch events in the life of a scrub-jay family throughout the year. Family members work together to defend territories averaging 25 acres from other scrub-jay families, with at least one member always on the lookout for predators,” said Faulhaber.
The Florida scrub-jay is one of the many wildlife species you may spot at Jonathan Dickinson State Park. It needs sandy scrub habitat to survive, but its populations have been impacted by habitat loss, agriculture and the lack of natural or prescribed fire to maintain vegetation height and sandy openings on scrub lands. Scrub-jay populations are thought to have declined by as much as 90 percent since the late 1800s.
What is its call like? More like a screech than a song, since it is related to species like the crow.Hear the sound of a Florida scrub-jay by going to AllAboutBirds.org and searching for Florida scrub-jay.
People can help Florida scrub-jays by:
Find out more about Florida scrub-jays by going to MyFWC.com/Imperiled, clicking on “Listed Species,” “Birds” and then “Florida scrub-jay.”

Zone D’s Late Muzzleloader Season Extends Deer Hunting

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Zone D’s Late Muzzleloader Season Extends Deer Hunting
February “Outta’ the Woods”
By Tony Young
 Tony Young
Zone D’s late muzzleloader season extends deer hunting opportunity through February
Plus, don’t miss Youth Waterfowl Hunting Days
 
“What I love most about using a muzzleloader is the extra challenge it provides – you only get one shot and you better make it count,” said Howard Tiller, retired high school teacher and Chipley, Florida, native. “The late muzzleloading season gives us Zone D hunters more opportunities to hunt deer while the rut is still going on after general gun season ends. Plus, there are fewer hunters in the woods during that time, which means less pressure.”
 
Tiller, who was introduced to hunting by his father at a young age, said he never misses hunting Zone D’s late muzzleloading gun season. The season, which only occurs in Zone D, extends deer hunting by a week after general gun ends and runs Feb. 20-26 on private lands. It was established to give hunters the chance to hunt the rut, which runs from mid-January through February in northwest Florida.
A $5 muzzleloading gun permit is required to hunt during this season. On private land, hunters have the choice of using a muzzleloader, bow or crossbow. Of course, they’ll also need a hunting license, which costs residents $17 for an annual one – or folks might opt to purchase the five-year license for only $79.
In Zone D wildlife management areas, this post-season is referred to as the archery/muzzleloading gun season. Specific dates vary by WMA, so consult each area’s brochure. Hunters can use bows or muzzleloaders, but no crossbows – unless they possess a disabled crossbow permit. Hunters who choose to hunt with a bow must have the $5 archery permit, and those using a muzzleloader need the $5 muzzleloading gun permit.
Legal to take; bag limits
Deer and wild hogs are most commonly hunted during this season. Only legal bucks may be taken (even if you use a bow), and south of Interstate 10 in Deer Management Unit D1, one antler must have at least two points. North of I-10 in DMU D2, all bucks must have at least three points on a side or have a main beam of at least 10 inches long to be legal to take.
If you’re hunting deer, make sure you have the $5 deer permit. On private land, the daily bag limit is two. Season dates, bag limits and antler regulations for deer on WMAs can differ, so consult the area brochure before you hunt.
On private lands, wild hogs can be taken year-round with no bag or size limits. On most WMAs, there’s also no bag or size limit, and hogs are legal to take during most hunting seasons except spring turkey. On selected WMAs, specific bag and size limits do apply, so again, check the area’s brochure to make sure.
Hunting regulations
During the late muzzleloader season on private lands and archery/muzzleloading gun season on WMAs, dogs may not be used to hunt deer. However, you may use a leashed one to track a wounded deer if necessary. And it’s important to note that no turkeys may be taken during this season.
Bows and crossbows must have minimum draw weights of 35 pounds. Hand-held releases on bows are permitted. Broadheads used in taking deer must have at least two sharpened edges with a minimum width of 7/8 inch.
During this late season, the only muzzleloaders allowed are those fired by wheel lock, flintlock, percussion cap or centerfire primer (including 209 primers) that cannot be loaded from the breech. For hunting deer, muzzleloading rifles must be at least .40-caliber, and muzzleloading shotguns must be 20-gauge or larger.
Legal shooting hours are between a half-hour before sunrise and a half-hour after sunset. You’re allowed to take deer and hogs over feeding stations on private land, but it is illegal to use such feed on WMAs.
Public hunting opportunity
Twelve of the WMAs in Zone D have a February archery/muzzleloading gun season, and if you plan to hunt any of them, you must have the $26 management area permit. Those areas are Apalachicola, Apalachicola River, Beaverdam Creek, Blackwater, Chipola River, Choctawhatchee River, Econfina Creek, Escambia River, Perdido River, Point Washington, Tate’s Hell and Yellow River.
You can get all of the licenses and permits you’ll need at any retail outlet that sells hunting and fishing supplies, by calling 888-HUNT-FLORIDA or by going online at GoOutdoorsFlorida.com.
Youth Waterfowl Hunting Days
To all parents out there: the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), in conjunction with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, has established Feb. 4-5 as this year’s statewide Youth Waterfowl Hunting Days. This weekend is specifically set up for children 15 and younger to hunt waterfowl, coots and common moorhens while being supervised by an adult (18 years or older). Only the kids may hunt; adults may only assist. Because only children 15 and younger may hunt during these two days, no licenses or permits are needed, including federal duck stamps. And if you’re not a duck hunter but your child is showing an interest in trying it, the FWC has brand new online information to assist new hunters – just visit MyFWC.com/NewHunter.
The FWC also has managed hunts at T.M. Goodwin Waterfowl Management Area, STA 1W and Guana River WMA. These fun, family-oriented events include raffles, free food and great waterfowl hunting. No children are turned away from the hunts, so a quota permit is not necessary. For more information on the Guana River hunt, call 904-825-6877. For more information on the T.M. Goodwin and STA 1W hunts, call 321-726-2862.
Bag limits
The daily bag limit on ducks is six, but within the six-bird limit there can be only one black duck, one mottled duck and one fulvous whistling duck. Two can be canvasbacks, pintails, redheads or scaup, and three may be wood ducks. And you may have no more than four scoters, four eiders, four long-tailed ducks and four mallards (of which only two can be female) in your bag. All other species of ducks can be taken, up to the six-bird limit, except harlequin ducks. The taking of harlequin ducks is against the law.
The daily limit on coots and common moorhens is 15, and there’s a five-bird limit on mergansers, only two of which may be hooded.
Youngsters also may take light geese during Youth Waterfowl Hunting Days. This includes snow, blue and Ross’s geese; and there’s a 15-bird daily bag limit on any combination. Canada geese may be taken as well, and the daily bag limit on them is five.
Waterfowl regulations
Shotguns are the only firearms that kids are allowed to use, and they’re not permitted to use one larger than 10-gauge. Shotguns must be plugged to a three-shell capacity (magazine and chamber combined). Though not practical for duck hunting, bows and crossbows may also be used if your child is so inclined.
Shooting hours are a half-hour before sunrise to sunset, and waterfowl hunters may use only nontoxic shotgun shells. Only iron (steel), bismuth-tin and various shot made from tungsten-alloy are permissible.
Retriever dogs, such as labs, may be used. Artificial decoys and manual or mouth-operated bird calls are not only legal but essential gear for duck hunters.
Prohibited methods of take
Scattering agricultural products over an area for the purpose of baiting is strictly forbidden. Feed, such as corn, wheat or salt, cannot be present where you’re hunting, nor can such baiting be used to attract birds, even if the bait is placed quite a distance away from where you’re hunting.
Some other things you can’t do while hunting waterfowl include using rifles, pistols, traps, snares, nets, sinkboxes, swivel guns, punt guns, battery guns, machine guns, fish hooks, poisons, drugs, explosive substances, live decoys, recorded bird calls or sounds and electrically amplified bird-call imitations. Shooting from an automobile or boat while under power is not illegal and herding or driving birds with vehicles or vessels also is against the law.
The 2016-2017 hunting seasons are winding down, however, there are still great opportunities to get out there. This February, take time to enjoy the solitude of a late season Zone D muzzleloader hunt or introduce a young person to duck hunting during the statewide Youth Waterfowl Hunting Days.

Progress on Lakeland Water Project Creates Short Detours

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Progress on Lakeland Water Project Creates Short Detours

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Progress on a City of Lakeland water main installation project along West Memorial Blvd. will mean brief detours this week for two local connecting roads. Starting Monday, North Suwannee Avenue will be closed for about 24-hours and North Swindell Avenue will close for the day on Wednesday. Both roads will be closed between Memorial Boulevard and Emma Street. North Suwannee Avenue will detour to Edith Avenue and North Swindell Avenue will detour to Savannah Avenue to bypass work zone. Motorists are encouraged to drive with caution and obey traffic signs.

Contact Bill Skelton with the Polk County Roads & Drainage Division at 863-535-2200 for further details.

Bicyclist Struck On Hwy 27 In South Lake Wales 

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Bicyclist Struck On Hwy 27 In South Lake Wales 

Lake Wales, Florida – The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is currently investigating an accident on Hwy 27 & Sunshine Ave. In South Lake Wales. According to Scott Wilder, public information officer with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office,  a bicyclist was injured. Witnesses advise the victim was transported by helicopter from the scene.An exact time of the accident was not yet available,  but it appears to be around 7pm.

The victim is in stable condition according to Wilder.

We will update this article as soon as more information is available.

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