Final East Polk Section Is Today

Starting Monday, news junkies and puzzle-solvers will just have to look in a new location as the East Polk Ledger ends.

The Ledger purchased the News Chief in March, changing the way we do business in East Polk.

We have spent the last couple of months reviewing East Polk Ledger content in preparation for its merger with the Polk & Florida section Monday.

Each day, editors will consider and present local news most relevant to the entire county on pages A1 and B1. The remaining local news stories will be played inside the Polk & Florida section.

We'll continue to write about arts and entertainment, news and features, but those stories will now be placed in the Life or Timeout sections along with similar features.

What else is in store?:

Crime maps from East Polk will run daily in the Polk & Florida section, along with other local news. We're even trying to revive our Lakeland map.

The "At the Library" column will move to the Friday Life section.

Community columnists will run on page B4, anchored on the following days: Lake Wales' "On the Ridge" on Mondays; Winter Haven/Auburndale "Happenings" on Wednesdays; Bartow/Fort Meade's "South Polk" on Fridays; and Northeast Polk's "Variety Pack" on Saturdays.

A community briefs column will run on page B4 on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. This column will focus on upcoming community events.

Calendar items will be added to the overall calendar that runs daily on page D2.

Two comic strips ("Rose Is Rose" and "Baby Blues") that run in East Polk Ledger will move to the comics page on E5, replacing "Funky Winkerbean," which did not fare well in a recent survey of readers.

Wuzzles and "Marmaduke" will be added to the puzzle page on E4.

The changes are part of the evolving media landscape in Polk County. In addition to our print products, you can also find breaking news and unique content online at www.theledger.com and www.newschief.com. If you have any questions or comments about our changes, please call County Editor Bill Blocher at 863-802-7519 or e-mail him at bill.blocher@theledger.com.