Polk County Sheriff: Missing Haines City Man With Dementia Located Safe
POLK COUNTY, Fla. – William Quattlebaum, Jr., has been located safely, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies say he was found safe on property off of FireTower road. ORIGINAL REPORT: The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s assistance in locating 77-year-old William Quattlebaum,...
Controlled Burn at Blackwater Creek Nature Preserve Aids Ecological Health in Hillsborough County
The Hillsborough County Conservation and Environmental Lands Management Department has ignited a planned fire at the Blackwater Creek Nature Preserve, a procedural move aimed at ecological site maintenance. The controlled burn, which is to unfold over the course of a single day, is set against the consummate Florida...
Family-run fabric store in Lakeland stitches together a legacy
Fabric Warehouse occupies a squat one-story building with a hunter green roof and a bright red door. Once inside, customers wander the meandering spaces that seem to extend beyond what the building’s footprint would allow. That’s not unlike the business itself, which has changed through decades of family ownership,...
Florida Poly students ascend with creation of device for potential use by astronauts
The notion of college students perching poolside during their summer break might seem utterly ordinary. For a trio of undergraduates from Florida Polytechnic University, though, that recent experience was extraordinary. In early June, the students traveled to Houston to participate in the Micro-g Neutral Buoyancy...
Bone Valley ATV Park Launches Volunteer Program for Motocross Track Operations
Bartow, Fla. (July 25, 2025) — Polk County Parks and Natural Resources staff are launching a volunteer program at Bone Valley ATV Park to assist with monitoring riding activity at the park’s motocross facilities. Volunteers are needed to help oversee the multipurpose T-Raxx track at Bone Valley South...
From The Ring To The Beach: Why Clearwater Was Always Home For Hulk Hogan
When the world remembers Hulk Hogan, they’ll think of the red and yellow. The signature handlebar mustache. The larger-than-life persona that helped define professional wrestling in the 1980s and beyond. But to many in Florida, especially in Clearwater, Hulk Hogan wasn’t just an icon. He was a neighbor. A...
Hillsborough County Fire Rescue Plans New Plant City Station, Hosts Community Meeting for Public...
Hillsborough County Fire Rescue is inviting the community to join a meeting concerning the erection of a new Plant City fire station, which aims to supplant two aging facilities. A 5.9-acre parcel at 2606 W. Sam Allen Rd. is under contemplation, with the county currently in negotiations to acquire the property. The...
Bartow Man Arrested For Eagle Lake Arson, Burglary After Fleeing Fire: Polk County Sheriff
POLK COUNTY, Fla. – A 33-year-old Bartow man, Jamaal Michael Grayson, was arrested on Saturday, July 19th, by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) after allegedly setting fire to a residence and then fleeing the scene. Deputies responded to the area of Cameron Road and Grove Park Lane...
Lakeland ranked in top 10 of boomtowns in the U.S. for rapid growth
A new study ranks the Lakeland as the eighth fastest growing cities or "boomtowns" in the United States.
Florida’s Underrated Cattle Ranch Turned Nature Reserve Offers Outdoor Fun Among Wandering Wildlife
To wander among some of Florida's most wonderful wildlife, journey over to Polk County. There, you'll find an unsung natural paradise called the Circle B Bar Reserve. This lovely patch of wild land hugs the northwest shore of the sprawling, 4,500-acre Lake Hancock, right on the outskirts of the city of Lakeland. You...
