LAKE WALES – Geert D’hollander, the carillonneur at Bok Tower Gardens, was one of four musicians selected out of 347 entrants recently to receive The King’s Singers inaugural New Music Prize.

Thousands of science fiction fans jammed into downtown Bartow on Feb. 20, filling the streets with aliens, spacecraft and cosplayers for the eighth annual SYFY Bartow event.

A Smithsonian poster exhibit that celebrates the invention accomplishments of both locally and nationally-known women opened March 1 in the lobby of the Polk County Administration Building in Bartow.

The search for the next leader of Polk County Public Schools is progressing.

Polk residents may decide in the next general election whether to raise the county sales tax by a half-cent or a penny to help pay for anticipated road improvements needed to handle the burgeoning traffic in the northeast and mid-sections of the county.

Angels Care Center of Eloise co-founder Larry Powell died Feb. 15 after a brief but fierce battle with cancer.

The Southwest Extension District for the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences program is about to get an infusion of talent from Polk County.

After being open for two weeks, Polk County officials reclosed K-Ville Avenue (County Road 542) in southwest Winter Haven for 45 days, beginning March 1, to complete the second phase of work to build an eastbound right-turn lane onto southbound Recker Highway (State Road 655).

Journey into Polk history this month at the Polk County History Center.

City residents can thank a local restaurant for helping the Lake Wales Chamber of Commerce find its 2020 Public Servant of the Year.

Fort Meade City Manager Danielle J. Judd submitted a letter of resignation Jan. 21 stating, in part, that “An opportunity has presented itself; one that allows me to pursue another career path.”

Maude Graham, a third-grade teacher at Rosabelle W. Blake Academy in Lakeland, was unveiled Jan. 21 as the 2021 Polk County Teacher of the Year.

On Jan. 22, Lake Wales Mayor Eugene Fultz notified city staff that he and his wife had tested positive for COVID-19. Because four of the five city commissioners, as well as at least two city staff members, were in close proximity to the mayor last week, they agreed to quarantine themselves a…

The Polk State Clear Springs Advanced Technology Center, located off of State Road 60 in Bartow, will soon see some new innovative farming techniques deployed within the corporate center's property, following action last week by the Bartow City Commission.

Polk County's COVID-19 relief funds jumped up another $21 million last week when the county received an additional $21.8 million to provide rent and utility relief to families affected by the pandemic.

Polk Sheriff Grady Judd announced during a news conference last week that Polk County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Peter Heneen, 29, had been charged with making threats of political violence.

HAINES CITY – When a Haines City High School staff member saw a need, she acted.

Polk County Public Schools will host its first meeting of the Citizens Screening Committee this week. This group of people is tasked with helping to narrow down the top candidates for the next PCPS superintendent.

Like any city, Winter Haven has its fair share of chain restaurants — but something longtime locals can probably agree on is that part of the city’s charm comes from its locally-owned eateries.

Tori Moore, an Emergency Department nurse at Winter Haven Hospital, never thought her singing abilities would land her in Times Square.

Polk County Public Schools is hiring bus drivers. The school district has immediate openings for drivers who would like to join its team.

Businesses will remain open for the economic well-being of the state even as COVID-19 cases continue to surge in Florida, the head of a Senate select committee on the pandemic said Jan. 21.

Randy Haffner has been named president and CEO for AdventHealth’s Central Florida Division, effective Feb. 1.

Two of Polk State College’s three collegiate high schools will host information sessions in February for students interested in attending for the 2021-2022 Academic Year.

For decades, members of Florida Frontiersmen, Inc. have organized the Alafia River Rendezvous simply because that is what they like to do.

On Feb. 12, world-renowned daredevil Nik Wallenda will “walk the plank” as he walks across a high wire five stories — or 60 feet — above park guests to celebrate the debut of Legoland Florida Resort’s all-new Brickbeard’s Watersports Stunt Show and PirateFest Weekends.

In 2020, Lakeland Fire Department Firefighter and Paramedic Clay Geiger was diagnosed with T-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

During a Winter Haven City Commission meeting Jan. 11, Winter Haven Mayor Brad Dantzler asked Polk State College President Dr. Angela Garcia Falconetti if she was planning to fight for line item funding for the college’s JD Alexander Center once again this year.

A group of citizens has been chosen to help narrow down the possible candidates for the next top leader of Polk County Public Schools, officials announced last week.

FORT MEADE — Samuel Berrien was chosen as mayor of Fort Meade Jan. 12 after Commissioner Richard Cochrane turned the position down.

State lawmakers, advised last week about limited tax dollars amid the COVID-19 pandemic, have already proposed 43 hometown projects worth more than $45 million.

A flock of fledgling Blue Jays is about to land in Mulberry when school starts in the fall.

Polk County Public Schools announced its student winners in its 20th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Challenge on Jan. 15.

HAINES CITY — Keith Baon planned a romantic trip to Orlando for his girlfriend.

Polk County officials announced today that the Florida Department of Health Polk County’s COVID-19 vaccination registration portal is now open for online reservations for those 65 years old and older, who wish to be inoculated once more vaccines become available.

Haines City Police have announced an arrest made Tuesday, Jan. 12, of a local man for making threatening remarks about carrying out violence on the nation’s capital.

With help from the popular band Metallica, 16 area residents who are either unemployed or underemployed were able to graduate from a metal-working/machinist training program at Polk State Clear Springs Advanced Technology Center on Dec. 9.

Production of Florida oranges is now forecast to be about 17 percent below last season’s output, while the industry has seen a surge in demand linked to people staying home during the COVID-19 pandemic and rediscovering breakfast.

The 50th annual Lake Wales Arts Festival is a go.

Bartow City Commissioners presented a proclamation to Bartow High School’s two principals and head football coach last week, proclaiming the city the “Home of Champions.”

The Polk County School Board voted recently to approve a new K-8 charter school to open in the northeast Polk area in the fall of 2021.

If Lake Wales Ordinance 2020-31 passes after a public hearing on Jan. 5, Lake Wales Police Department officers would soon have to arrest anyone who tries to panhandle for money.

Bartow will be getting a new, higher-end modular housing development following approval last week by the city commission.

Polk County Fire Rescue Chief Robert Weech recently promoted Battalion Chief Kevin Shireman to the rank of Deputy Chief, where he will fill the role of Fire Marshal.

The Davenport City Commission approved a contract with its new city attorney on Dec. 7.

The first wave of coronavirus vaccinations began in Florida on Monday, with health-care workers in Tampa and Jacksonville among the first to get inoculated.

Along with more than 100 other Republican congressmen, Congressman Ross Spano and Congressman Greg Steube — both of whom represent districts which include portions of Polk County covered by the Sun — signed an amicus brief filed last week in support of a lawsuit that seeks to overturn the pr…

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Friday, Dec. 11, that the state will use $23 million in federal pandemic funds to support mental-health services.

World War II Navy veteran Bob Kelly, of Lake Wales, and his wife, Mertice, wave to a parade of friends who drove by their house on Nov. 28.