Polk City News

WASHINGTON Sammy Haddock started working with elephants when he joined the circus at 20, in 1976, a young man's dream.

Published: Sunday, December 20, 2009 at 8:42 p.m. Last Modified: Sunday, December 20, 2009 at 8:42 p.m. LAKE WALES From his family room, Rafael Alvarado has a 180-degree vista of the dense woodlands surrounding his home near Tiger Creek Preserve.

The Orlando Science Center and the Orlando Public Library are participating in Ringling Bros.

Published: Thursday, December 17, 2009 at 12:01 a.m. Last Modified: Friday, December 18, 2009 at 12:12 a.m. POLK CITY A 76-year-old's Polk City man's death has been ruled a suicide, according to the Polk County Medical Examiner's Office.

This just in from our newest blogger, Jim Gaines, who doesn't have an account set up yet so I'm posting for him.

Published: Wednesday, December 9, 2009 at 4:01 a.m. Holiday events will rain on East Polk this weekend After rain last week washed out several holiday events, the holiday cheer should be alive and well in East Polk County this weekend.

Published: Saturday, December 5, 2009 at 4:01 a.m. Last Modified: Saturday, December 5, 2009 at 2:07 a.m. Although rain is a welcome visitor in drought-ridden Polk County, the weather front that brought it couldn't have come at a worse time for local event organizers.

Published: Wednesday, December 9, 2009 at 12:01 a.m. Last Modified: Thursday, December 10, 2009 at 2:16 a.m. POLK CITY After angry public protests killed two proposed sewer projects earlier this year, the City Council voted 4-1 Tuesday to explore divesting its water and sewer utilities to an independent state authority.

Published: Friday, December 4, 2009 at 9:27 a.m. Last Modified: Friday, December 4, 2009 at 6:36 p.m. Bad weather across Polk County today is already starting to claim victims - several outdoor events that were planned for today or the weekend, including tonight's First Friday and tomorrow's Snowfest in Lakeland.

Cory Carrier, city manager for Polk City, said work has finally been completed on the link between the Van Fleet Trail and the Auburndale-TECO Trail.

The Dade City Chamber of Commerce has canceled the annual Christmas parade schedule for tomorrow at 7 p.m. Chamber officials said they felt the impending storm front would pose a safety risk for parade participants and spectators.

From the Hillsborough County line to the Osceola County line, maintenance workers will be repairing shoulders along Interstate 4 next week.

Polk City Florida USA lies between the Tampa and Orlando. Kermit Weeks chose property there to not only house his extensive airplane collection but to build an entire experience.

Published: Saturday, November 28, 2009 at 10:59 p.m. Last Modified: Saturday, November 28, 2009 at 10:58 p.m. POLK CITY Spend just a few minutes with Polk City librarian Mary Ellin Barrett, as thousands do each year, and you'll see the kind of energy she puts into her work.

Work is nearly complete on the new Polk City maintenance building, including a new sand and salt storage building for winter road use.

Published: Thursday, November 26, 2009 at 1:22 a.m. Last Modified: Thursday, November 26, 2009 at 3:22 a.m. POLK CITY Trudy Block struck a nerve, perhaps even Polk City's spinal column.

Published: Tuesday, November 24, 2009 at 9:54 p.m. Last Modified: Tuesday, November 24, 2009 at 9:54 p.m. MULBERRY A stroke of the pen was all it took to officially dissolve the embattled Mulberry Police Department on Tuesday, when city officials signed a contract for law enforcement with the Polk County Sheriff's Office.

When you hear that someone has won the citizen-of-the-year award, whether in a big city or a small town, you likely would think that the winner is someone who has lived in that area for an extensive amount of time, or perhaps comes from a long generational line of a recognizable family, but in Polk City, that didn't happen this year.

Published: Saturday, November 21, 2009 at 9:54 p.m. Last Modified: Saturday, November 21, 2009 at 9:54 p.m. POLK CITY NEWSPAPER WITH A HEART Wendy Blue, 42, at her home Wednesday, October 28, 2009 in Polk City, Florida with Scout the horse.

The American Cancer Society Relay For Life of Polk City is looking for participants.