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.

HAINES CITY – The taste of Jersey has come to town.

Florida Polytechnic University professor Dr. Muhammad Rashid has been listed among the top 2% of scientists in a global list compiled by Stanford University. At number 617, Rashid was ranked in the top 1% of the 87,611 scientists in his field of electronics and electrical engineering in the study.

Harriet Rewis Rust was recognized as one of five 2020 Polk Pioneers during a recent virtual ceremony.

The Florida Department of Health in Polk County announced Dec. 30 that it had received a limited amount of the COVID-19 vaccine and that department officials are currently developing a plan for distribution that meets the requirements of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ executive order as quickly …

HAINES CITY – Like many teenagers, Reanna Brown has a busy life.

The Polk County History Center’s popular lunch and learn series is shifting to Saturdays in 2021, and includes interactive elements designed to get attendees and their “Quaranteam” out exploring Polk County.

For more than 40 years, the Winter Haven Youth Soccer Association has been serving the children of the community and helping to prepare them for the competitive sport that is life.

Former Polk County Parks and Natural Resources Director Jeff Spence has been working on his photography skills and volunteering his time since his retirement in 2018.

A plan to build 509 single-family homes on 122 acres, on a property located just across the railroad tracks from downtown Davenport, took another step forward Dec. 21.

WINTER HAVEN – Shaddi Abdala is flying high these days, but it wasn’t always so.

Polk County Public Schools staff announced last week the district is temporarily suspending all athletics programs in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Polk County Board of County Commissioners voted Dec. 15 to allocate $1 million of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to assist those still suffering a negative financial impact from the COVID-19 pandemic.

When the pandemic set in, Winter Haven resident Yvette Fox couldn't go to the gym to workout, so she took some old weights out of storage and converted her garage into a gym.

Polk County Sheriff’s Office Organized Retail Crime Detectives, working with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Attorney General's Office of Statewide Prosecution, developed eight suspects statewide during an investigation that started in August of 2019.

The 2021 Florida Association of Counties calendar, themed “Show Us Your Spectacular,” includes a familiar Polk County attraction taken by a local photographer to represent the month of October.

Polk County Fire Rescue held its annual awards event recently via a virtual presentation. These are some of the heroic actions documented.

Polk County commissioners gave a green light last week for the construction of two more new fire and emergency services stations — one in Loughman, in the northeast county, and the other almost opposite, in Galloway.

Preparing for the start of pre-session meetings in January, House Speaker Chris Sprowls on Friday released committee and subcommittee assignments for House members and named the leaders of subcommittees.

Winter Haven High School senior Nicholas Lopez and Fort Meade High School senior Alyssa Eldridge were named as 2021 U.S. Presidential Scholars recently.

As students prepare for winter break and the Spring 2021 Semester, Polk State College staff reminds the College community of the counseling services and mental health resources available to assist students who are overwhelmed, coping with stress, or facing barriers to learning.

On Dec. 12, the Orlando Sentinel reported that Legoland Florida Resort in Winter Haven may be transforming around four acres of what is currently parking lot space into a new section for its park in 2021.

JLL and Intram Investments announced Dec. 14 that Intram’s affiliate, Martni Posner II, LLC has signed a lease with Hobby Lobby, represented by Katz & Associates, for a new 55,000-square-foot store to anchor Phase II of Posner Village — a 265,000-square-foot shopping center developed by …

Two new board members are joining the new chair, vice-chair and secretary/treasurer to work with the Central Florida Development Council as it continues its mission to attract new industries to the area and help ones already here grow.

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.

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.

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

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.

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 50th annual Lake Wales Arts Festival is a go.

During a Winter Haven City Commission Agenda Review meeting Dec. 9, Winter Haven Hospital President Stephen A. Nierman explained that while COVID-19 related cases spiked in November, the spike was relatively mild compared to the peak numbers of July and August in Polk County.

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.

The Polk Senior Games Board of Directors has announced that the 2021 Polk Senior Games have been cancelled. The decision was made because of the safety concerns and the many unknowns caused by the pandemic.

Polk County Public Schools has made two changes to its face covering requirements to reflect an update from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.

HAINES CITY – The team at First Presbyterian Church in Haines City enjoys welcoming members and guests on Sunday mornings.

HAINES CITY – What began 23 years ago in the basement of Jenkins Middle School has evolved into a thriving program that serves about 45 kids every day.

Polk County Public Schools is asking the community to help name its newest elementary school.

Polk County Sheriff’s Office Organized Retail Crime Detectives, working with the Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody's Office of Statewide Prosecution and the Georgia Bureau of Investigations, developed five suspects — all from Georgia — during an investigation that started in August of 20…

Polk County Commissioners will gather at their annual business retreat in February to talk about a wide range of issues, many of which were enumerated by Commissioner George Lindsey during an address to the commission shortly after his re-election in November.

Florida on Dec. 3 ramped up plans to vaccinate seniors for COVID-19 by publishing two emergency rules that require nursing homes and assisted living facilities to allow representatives from the state health department, CVS and Walgreens into the facilities.

On Wednesday, December 2, 18-year-old Tarmetris Daniel Mack and 17-year-old Alfred Higgs, Jr., both of whom are Osceola County residences and who both have Polk County warrants for armed robbery and first degree murder, turned themselves in to the Polk County Sheriff's Office at the Northeas…

Florida’s vital tourism industry could start to experience an uptick midway through 2021, although foreign travel will continue to lag for several years, according to information posted online Nov. 24 by state analysts.

In October, United Way of Central Florida announced its 600th delivery of food boxes and household supplies to vulnerable populations throughout Polk County through the Ride United Last-Mile Delivery initiative.

The private passenger-rail service Brightline announced an agreement Nov. 23 with Walt Disney World to build a station at Disney Springs as part of expansion plans from South Florida to Central Florida.

ARTOW — Polk's Board of County Commissioners learned recently that the county had received a multi-million dollar grant to help with its efforts to curb opioid addiction.

AUBURNDALE – Esther Hammer has spent 18 years volunteering at Polk County’s East Area Adult School.