With hundreds of miles of roads that traverse neighborhoods and rural area, Polk County is a mecca for bicycle enthusiasts. Children ride on streets near their homes while more experienced riders can be seen pedaling great distances. Most area residents … read more.

Forty years ago, when citizens band radio was all the rage, it was said that CB radio had given millions of people with nothing to say a forum on which to say it. Gimme a big 10-4 on that, Good … read more.

House Speaker Will Weatherford, Senate President Dan Gaetz and Gov. Rick Scott made ethics reform a top priority as this year’s legislative session opened in March. When that session closed Friday, a range of ethics and campaign finance reform measures … read more.

It now seems that the Florida legislature (i.e. the Florida House) is turning down the federal dollars that would greatly expand Medicaid in Florida. While I strongly disagree with turning away any money to expand medical coverage to Floridians, I … read more.

For more than 100 years, Florida has the nation’s most comprehensive open records and meetings laws, now collectively known as the Sunshine Law. It guarantees meetings of elected officials are open to the public and ensures access to public records, … read more.

With its part-time schedule, low pay and term limits, the Florida Legislature seems to be a perfect mold to create citizen-lawmakers. These altruistic public servants would rise from their communities full of personal and business experience to impart their real-life … read more.

I have participated in the Polk Senior Games for 15 years with some degree of success. Each time my picture/story appears in the newspaper, I receive compliments and encouragement from my family, friends and strangers. After enjoying “the moment,” I … read more.

Shielded from voters in an legislative session without a looming election, the Florida Senate is quickly moving on a bill that is aimed at further shoring up the finances and potential liability of Citizens Property, the state-run insurer of last … read more.

The Polk County School District and the Lake Wales Charter School system need to sit in a room and work out their differences before the county school district spends millions of dollars of money in Lake Wales that the taxpayers … read more.

After fighting the federal Environmental Protection Agency — and winning — over its ability to set water quality standards for state waterways, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection would have to establish those criteria by the end of 2014, under … read more.

In his book, “The Lexus and the Olive Tree,” journalist Thomas Friedman addresses the issues of globalization and analyzes changing dynamics between the haves and the have-nots. One point he makes is this: Activist groups play an increasingly important role … read more.

The Mosaic Company, a fixture in the Polk County economy, has an outsized impact on communities from Florida’s Gulf Coast to the Heartland. Its phosphate mining and fertilizer production facilities are the bedrock of local economies in Polk, Hardee, Manatee … read more.

Congress consists of two houses, (1) the Senate who is supposed to discuss, modify and/or reject the Bills sent to it by (2) the House of Representatives whose main purpose is to bring bills to the Senate. These bills, if … read more.

The calls have already started. Every day more and more of our part-time residents call to let us know it’s time to put their paper on hold for the summer. So before everyone heads north, we wanted to take the … read more.

Your viewpoint of March 6, 2013, should be a wake up call to insurance policy holders who have not recognized the deceptive way their homeowner’s insurance policies providing sinkhole coverage to comply with Florida law requirements. The policy renewal notices … read more.