BARTOW | The purple bruises around Victoria Lindsay's eyes show a glimpse of the damage done to the 17-year-old former Mulberry High cheerleader following her infamous videotaped pummeling. more»

• Victoria Lindsay

Today is Bike to Work Day, an annual event promoted by the advocacy group League of American Bicyclists. Don't expect the streets of Polk County to be teeming with bicyclists, however. In truth, it's not exactly been a widely celebrated occasion in a nation in which less than 0.5 percent of... more»

Pepsi Bottling Group showed off its new Lakeland home Thursday: an 110,000-square-foot facility at Interstate Commerce Park that will be used to refurbish thousands of vending machines and soda fountains each year. The arrival of Somers, N.Y.-based Pepsi Bottling was one of several announcements... more»

More than 15,000 passenger-vehicle occupants died in traffic crashes between the nighttime hours of 6 p.m. and 5:59 a.m. during 2006, reports the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration - and 64 percent of those motorists killed were not wearing their seat belts at the time of the fatal... more»

When The Ledger visited David Adams in December 2006, the beekeeper was just beginning his struggle with a puzzling affliction now known as Colony Collapse Disorder. more»

• Bees Disappear

The weak dollar may be helping Florida's economy as state tourism officials Thursday touted increases in visitors for the first three months of this year. (Polk County does not track visitor figures, but local hotel and vacation home rentals for the quarter totaled $48.1 million, up 14.7 percent... more»

LAKELAND | Two highly ranked Polk County judges have been appointed to the last two vacant 10th Judicial Circuit judges' posts. more»

Legally President Bush can't run for a third time, but if you want to continue his disasters, then you vote for John McCain. more»

LAKE WALES | Two Polk County sheriff's pilots practicing emergency operations escaped serious injuries when their helicopter crashed about 4:40 p.m. Thursday at Lake Wales Airport. more»

LAKELAND | A pricing error at a Lakeland 7-Eleven was a wish come true Thursday afternoon for motorists yearning for a return to cheaper gas. The discount - roughly $1 per gallon - was only temporary. more»

Despite a scorecard 11 shots higher than in the opening round, Florida Southern's Jude Eustaquio retained a share of the lead in the second round of the NCAA Division 2 Men's Golf Championships on Thursday at Houston, Texas. more»

Lakeland's run to the state baseball tournament was like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. Early on, the Dreadnaughts appeared to have a bunch of odd-shaped pieces that didn't fit together, but as the season developed, each piece fell into place. The Dreadnaughts find out in the next day or two... more»

A native shrub that's sporting clusters of dainty, pink blossoms now is American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana). Though these flowers are small, they transform the stems of this deciduous bush into decorative wands. more»

LAKELAND | More Polk County seniors who retook the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test this year in reading and math will be able to graduate, but the numbers remain low. more»

I would like to ask Sheriff GradyJudd when he started teaching our employees that they have the rightto know our personal business like from where we came and where we're going. more»

If you didn't stop by 210 City Club last weekend you probably missed your last chance for the summer. Gus Palas, owner of the downtown Lakeland wine and martini bar, said the nightspot, (which was once the site of Trader's), will at least be closed through the month of June. "We wanted to take a... more»

more»

Every team has its demons. For the Warner Southern College softball team it was Savannah College of Art and Design - and themselves. Once the Royals overcame those menacing monsters, they broke out in a big way. The Royals (37-9) are headed to the NAIA National Championships for just the second... more»

HAINES CITY | Polk County Sheriff's Office detectives scoured an orange grove on Patterson Road in Haines City on Thursday looking for evidence in the death of a man whose body was found in the trunk of a burned vehicle. more»

Mother God has given everyone Such a precious gift Sometimes so blinded We cannot see The one who gave birth to your life of The family tree of eternity It's when we are older and out of her care Did anyone notice mother is not there? more»

PLANT CITY | Top-ranked Santa Fe Community College was upset Thursday in the first round of the NJCAA Division I Fast Pitch national championship tournament. more»

HAINES CITY| Police in Haines City are looking for a man who robbed the CenterState Bank in Haines City and got away with an undisclosed amount of cash Thursday morning. more»

more»

HAINES CITY | Just imagine driving from Winter Haven to Ocala and seeing nothing along U.S. 27 North except orange groves and cattle - and, yes, one truck stop. That was the Florida landscape 50 years ago. more»

Publix Super Markets and the Mosaic Co. are among two Florida firms touting their Earth-friendly practices in commercials from the Environmental Defense Fund and Florida Wildlife Federation. The ads, which are running in Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville and Tallahassee, are part of a campaign to... more»

more»

HAINES CITY | The downtown streetscaping project has been mired in paperwork and delayed for another month. The $2.36 million project, which involves North Sixth Street, parts of Jones Avenue and the Railroad Park area, was supposed to begin April 1. more»

LAKE WALES | Airport operator Betty Hill said she is preparing to bill the city for the loss of business and extra expenses she has incurred since Hurricane Charley destroyed the airport in August 2004. more»

Shortstop Cale Iorg and first baseman Ryan Strieby teamed up for a spectacular defensive play as Lakeland held on to edge Dunedin, 8-7, in Florida State League baseball action on Thursday night. more»

Ricardo Jose Vazquez was found not guilty Thursday of second-degree murder in the shooting death of an 18-year-old man in Poinciana in 2006. Jurors deliberated about 2 1/2 hours before acquitting Vazquez, 26, of Kissimmee. more»

A man was shot late Thursday on the 1200 block of Robert King High Drive, and police are looking for a suspect. The shooting occurred about 10:30 p.m. in the neighborhood off Providence Road in North Lakeland. The man was found lying in the street, police said. more»

Haines City residents on Thursday night let city commissioners know just how unhappy they are with the recent enforcement of a city ordinance that allows for the towing of abandoned and junk vehicles and boats. more»

A Winter Haven man was arrested Wednesday and charged with illegally dumping used tires, said a report from the Polk County Sheriff's Office. more»

The Old School Compound indoor skateboard complex in Lakeland will hold contests Saturday beginning at noon. The event is for skaters ages 12 and older. It's $10 an event or $10 to skate all day at the compound. more»

A Winter Haven couple was arrested early Thursday morning and charged with stealing about $1,200 worth of property and copper wire from the Sunshine Motel in Winter Haven, according to a report from the Polk County Sheriff's Office. more»

BABSON PARK | Webber International University has hired Neil Cockburn as its men's soccer coach replacing John Haworth, who stepped down from the position earlier this year. more»

George Jenkins High School will hold a mock presidential candidate debate Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. in the campus auditorium. The event will include a multimedia presentation, a debate and a question and answer period by the student body. This student-led event is free and open to the public. more»

TALLAHASSEE | North Carolina State's Eric Surkamp gave up three hits over 5 2/3 innings and the Wolfpack bullpen pitched 3 1/3 innings of no-hit ball to give them a 12-2 victory over Florida State on Thursday night. more»

The Haines City Police Department reported these criminal activities from April 30 through May 2: BURGLARY Vehicular burglary and petty theft were reported May 2 to the Haines City Police Department, 35400 U.S. 27 N. DRUG POSSESSION more»

A yard sale to benefit the American Cancer Society will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and Saturday at 202 N. Miami Ave. The sale is being put on by the Davenport Relay for Life. It will feature a variety of items, including clothes, toys, home furnishings, baby items and furniture. more»

The city's Department of Leisure Services will offer a seven-week Youth Day Camp for children from 7 to 12 years old, as well as other activities during the summer. more»

Auburndale Oaks Health Fair will be offered from 2 to 4 this afternoon. The free health screenings, as well as entertainment, will be offered at the facility at 919 Old Winter Haven Road. more»

Paul Fellers will lead the hike looking for red-cockaded woodpeckers, singing Bachman's sparrows, brown-headed nuthatch and Carolina chickadee Saturday through the Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area. more»

The Pirates on the Ridge Polk County Parrot Head Chapter will have its second Dennis Austin Living Scholarship fundraiser from 1 to 6 p.m. Saturday at Jo-Dee's Pizza on U.S. 17. Activities will include music, raffle and silent auction. more»

The Frostproof Area Chamber of Commerce will have a "Casino Nite" starting at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Depot on East Wall Street. Games will include blackjack, Texas hold 'em and bingo. There will also be a raffle and 50/50 pot. more»

The Frostproof Chamber will have a Bass Boat Raffle on Saturday to raise money for a July 4 fireworks display. The raffle will include a 2008 Fisher Bass Boat with a Mercury Motor, 12-volt MotorGuide trolling motor and Lowrance X37 Fish Finder. more»

Friday Fest will become "Blueberry Fest" from 6 to 9 tonight along East Main Street and Central Avenue in downtown Bartow. Clear Springs is sponsoring this month's event, which will feature live music by Band Haven and blueberry samples provided for visitors to taste. more»

The Florida Trail Association is having a work day at the Mackay Gardens and Lakeside Preserve in Lake Alfred on Saturday. The workday will be held from 8:30 a.m. to noon. Bring a bag lunch for a picnic with other workers. For more information, call 863-291-5270. more»

Whether it's tall trees or a collection of succulents on a windowsill, nothing fills gardeners with pride as much as pointing to plants and saying, "I propagated and grew them myself.'' Many gardeners, however, perhaps a majority, never enjoy that satisfaction because they perceive plant... more»