I'm having a hard time understanding the YEP policy at Lakeshore Mall. It's ridiculous that children can't be there without an adult after 6 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Not all children are obnoxious, rambunctious and destructive. In this county, where there is precious little for the youth to do and precious few places for them to gather, taking away a trip to the mall and a visit to the movies is socially irresponsible. Has anyone thought to ask the stores if they would be willing to pay a little more each month to contribute to amped up security rather than lose business? I personally hate to think of 16-year-olds having to go all the way to Lake Wales just to go to the movies. Surely there is another option if kids are a problem at the mall other than banning them all. That's throwing out the baby with the bathwater. ...more

January 6, 2010

Authorities have found two sisters believed to have been abducted by their mother and two armed men. ...more

December 30, 2009

Marcia Lightsey of Lake Wales, whose family owns several Central Florida cattle ranches known for their progressive environmental practices, has been selected to receive the Woman of the Year in Agriculture Award for 2009. ...more

December 27, 2009

Not so fresh from Democratic Farms we have the Christmas turkey, a tough old bird garnished with false hopes and crushed ideals. What was sold as a plump, fresh and vigorous model of holiday cheer has been fashioned by amateur chefs into an over-cooked, over-stuffed and over-sold load of half truths. ...more

December 25, 2009

Recently, I noticed while driving through the neighboring towns of South Bay, Lake Placid, Lake Wales and Avon Park, that they have expanded their landscaping. The addition of sabal palms sets off the feeling of Florida and our native flora and trees. This is of great value to those coming south during the ice and snow from their summer homes in the north. It has also been researched and found that landscaping improves the attitude of drivers and reduces road rage. Having done some slight research, it didn't take long to discover that the town of Lake Placid has been working with federal money, private donations and various grants to give such a pleasing view of their landscaping along U.S. 27 and Interlake Boulevard. ...more

December 22, 2009

Jamie Bernard Bain woke up singing on his first full day as a free man. ...more

December 19, 2009

James Bernard Bain, free of steel bars and having to stare at the outside world through chain link and concertina wire, stood outside the Polk County Courthouse on Thursday morning, wrapped in the warmth of freedom. ...more

December 18, 2009

Jamie Bernard Bain is a free man after 35 years in prison. The once-convicted rapist whose guilt was called into question by recent DNA testing was set free by a judge this morning in Polk County. ...more

December 17, 2009

If a judge sets him free today after 35 years in prison, the first thing Jamie Bernard Bain plans to do is pay his respects at his stepfather's grave. ...more

December 17, 2009

A man whom new evidence shows might have been wrongfully imprisoned for 35 years could become a free man in less than two days. ...more

December 16, 2009