If Polk County Commissioner R. Todd Dantzler had entertained any ideas the Friday, May 17, Bartow Kiwanis luncheon would be a “hale and well met” appearance, that notion was quickly dissuaded under a blistering barrage of questions posed him by … read more.

If you sweated in the early evening humidity Sunday night, it was due to an osprey flying into a pole and damaging a fault current. Power went out to an estimated 700 places in the southwest part of Bartow, from … read more.

The back area of Mary Holland Park Saturday there was a full house … a party as they go … bringing together children who are up for adoption and families invited to meet them. Those people and members of the … read more.

Drivers should expect temporary northbound and/or southbound lane closures on U.S. 98 from 6:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. from 540A to State Road 540. Crews continue to work on grading, paving, improving drainage and temporary widening activities at Banana Creek … read more.

The final candidate for Polk County Superintendent of Schools stood front and center Monday at the Jim Miles Professional Center answering dozens of questions about her qualifications from an audience of about 100. Constance Jones, presently the Lee County School … read more.

Another standout player from the Bartow High School football program will be taking his talents to the college ranks. Defensive back Jonathan Battle has signed a letter, giving him a full ride at Missouri Valley College in Marshall, Missouri. “This … read more.

In a surprise move that caught even Polk County School Board members off-guard, Interim Superintendent John Stewart will be leaving his temporary job a month ahead of schedule. Stewart resigned on Wednesday, effective the end of May “for personal reasons,” … read more.

With a heavy heart, Mikel Dorminy resigned this week after being Main Street Bartow’s director for almost eight years. “I absolutely love Main Street and love downtown Bartow,” she said. “I think it’s very important, it just got to that … read more.

With the state attorney’s office not planning to file criminal charges against Kiera Rosalyn Wilmot, it is likely she won’t be expelled from school and will probably return to Bartow High School for her senior year next year. “They are … read more.

As the number of runners and walkers registered for the 2013 Carillon Classic 5K Run & Walk continues to increase, the Dick Pope/Polk County chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association is seeking volunteers to help with staging this charitable … read more.

The following places are closed for Memorial Day: The Polk County Courthouse: closed Monday, May 27 The Polk County Public Schools: closed, Monday, May 27 The Lake Wales Charter School District: closed, Monday, May 27 Lake Wales Library: closed Saturday, … read more.

Dozens of Gordon Heights  children jammed the Gordon Heights Park east of Bartow as  they enjoyed the Gordonville Community Association’s fifth  annual Culture Fest and Health Fair on Saturday. The children were busy with baseball games, scampered around the basketball … read more.

WASHINGTON — Summoned by Congress, a key figure in the Internal Revenue Service’s targeting of conservative groups plans to invoke her constitutional right against self-incrimination and decline to testify at a congressional hearing on Wednesday. Lois Lerner heads the IRS … read more.

MOORE, Okla. — Helmeted rescue workers raced Tuesday to complete the search for survivors and the dead in the Oklahoma City suburb where a mammoth tornado destroyed countless homes, cleared lots down to bare red earth and claimed 24 lives, … read more.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. has identified five men who might be responsible for the attack on the diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, last year, and has enough evidence to justify seizing them by military force as suspected terrorists, officials say. … read more.

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VATICAN CITY (AP) — Is Pope Francis an exorcist? The question has bubbled up ever since Francis laid his hands on the head of a young man in a wheelchair after celebrating Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square. The young … read more.

MIAMI — A homeless man whose face was mostly chewed off in a bizarre attack last year appeared Tuesday to be mostly at peace with his disfigurement, strumming a guitar, making jokes and thanking people for their donations to help … read more.

(LA Times) — Having childhood attention deficit hyperactivity disorder could lead to a life of obesity, even if ADHD symptoms disappear in adulthood, a new study shows. The study, which followed up on 207 middle-class men who had been diagnosed … read more.

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WASHINGTON — White House chief of staff Denis McDonough and other senior advisers knew in late April that an impending report was likely to say the IRS had inappropriately targeted conservative groups, President Barack Obama’s spokesman disclosed Monday, expanding the … read more.

TALLAHASSEE — Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who had a tough time winning cooperation this past year from the Republican-led Legislature, struck back on Monday by vetoing nearly $400 million from the state’s new budget. Scott praised the overall budget — … read more.

SAN FRANCISCO — Yahoo is buying online blogging forum Tumblr for $1.1 billion as CEO Marissa Mayer tries to rejuvenate an Internet pioneer that had fallen behind the times. The deal announced Monday is Mayer’s boldest move since she left … read more.

PHOENIX (AP) — Complaining that Jodi Arias’ sensational murder case has become a modern-day “witch trial,” her lawyers tried to quit in the middle of the death-penalty phase Monday, then said they will call only one witness: Arias. When Arias … read more.

TALLAHASSEE, (AP) — So you have a lottery ticket worth $590.5 million. Now what? If you won Saturday’s historic Powerball jackpot and you haven’t already done so, sign the ticket. Now. Finished? Now call a lawyer — even before your … read more.

BEIRUT (AP) — Hezbollah was pulled more deeply into Syria’s civil war as 28 guerrillas from the Lebanese Shiite militant group were killed and dozens more wounded while fighting rebels, Syria activists said Monday. The intense battle drove rebels from … read more.

BAGHDAD (AP) — A wave of attacks killed at least 86 people in Shiite and Sunni areas of Iraq on Monday, officials said, pushing the death toll over the past week to more than 230 and extending one of the … read more.

ZEPHYRHILLS, Fla. (AP) — Some lucky person walked into a Publix supermarket in suburban Florida over the past few days and bought a ticket now worth an estimated $590.5 million — the highest Powerball jackpot in history. But it wasn’t … read more.

ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — Mirjana Filipovic is still haunted by the land mine blast that killed her boyfriend and blew off her left leg while on a fishing trip nearly a decade ago. It happened in a field that was … read more.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The president and chief executive officer of The Associated Press on Sunday called the government’s secret seizure of two months of reporters’ phone records “unconstitutional” and said the news cooperative had not ruled out legal action against … read more.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who has maintained steadfast opposition to raising the cost of college for students, will veto a proposed 3 percent tuition hike. The Republican-led Florida Legislature included the hike in a $74.5 billion … read more.

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexicans often feel that billionaire Carlos Slim owns everything in their country, from telephone and Internet companies to banks and chain stores, but his latest acquisitive foray is meeting resistance after touching a national passion: soccer. … read more.

NEW DELHI (AP) — Just weeks after a tense border standoff, China’s new premier headed to India on Sunday for his first foreign trip as the neighboring giants look to speed up efforts to settle a decades-old boundary dispute and … read more.

KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan held a repeat election on Sunday in an upscale area of the southern city of Karachi that was plagued with allegations of vote-rigging, despite the shooting death of a senior member of former cricket star … read more.

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — Syrian troops backed by tanks and warplanes launched an assault Sunday on a strategic rebel-held town near the Lebanese border, pounding the area with airstrikes and artillery salvos that killed at least 30 people and forced … read more.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s senior coalition partner says that reaching a final peace agreement with the Palestinians is unrealistic at the current time and the sides should instead pursue an interim arrangement. Finance Minister Yair Lapid’s assessment, … read more.

MINEOLA, N.Y. (AP) — In what police are describing as a crime of opportunity, a wanted man with a criminal history dating nearly 15 years entered a front door that had been left open at a New York home near … read more.

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. (AP) — Authorities are searching for the man they say stole an off-duty deputy’s purse that held her badge and gun at a central Florida grocery store. Winter Haven Police say the Polk County Sheriff’s deputy was … read more.

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A Panhandle marine park has a new addition to its family — a baby bottlenose dolphin. And it’s a girl. Gulf World officials said the calf was born Thursday and is about three-feet long … read more.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Authorities are investigating after a pedestrian was hit by a bus and killed at Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport. Broward Sheriff’s officials said 68-year-old Cheryl Bazilius exited her vehicle Saturday afternoon and was walking to … read more.