I was disappointed that committee meetings held me in Tallahassee last week for the announcement at Cypress Gardens. As we knew, the news coming from the sale to Merlin confirms: this is a big deal. Initial reports in The Ledger boast 1,000 new jobs, although reports from folks who attended the news conference indicate as [...]
One of the greatest privileges as Church Acolyte is getting the opportunity to be chosen to light the Advent Wreath during Christmas....Chris Craig has a story about the year he was 12...
This week, I am sharing a very personal poem, which later turned into a song, I wrote for my son while he was in the St. Joseph’s Women Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (St. Joe’s NICU). My son, Li Alexius Santiago, was born at 24 weeks, and he only had a 30 percent chance of survival.
Recently a woman I was dating dragged me to torturous evening event in town. The scene was a hot dark room where someone ordered me to put my body into strange positions....
It's an action, comment, or attitude. It's something we just can't accept. It's a "deal breaker." Chris Craig looks into deal breakers today in Religion in the City
In the social service world, one of the greatest challenges is finding the energy to delineate which clients are in true need of help and which ones are simply sponges of the social service wheel. Take a look inside to find one of Craig's inspirations that helps him in his work...
Cris Craig wrote 13 Religion in the City columns for our sister publication, Lakeland Local. We're offering this handy list for those who might have missed a column or two...
James MacMeekin has the bottom line: "Our current financial and economic collapse is a direct result of the social failures enacted over the last 75 years!" How so? You'll find the answer inside...
Mi4 Video Minutes are 60 seconds of sound and image from somewhere in the metro Interstate 4 area. Today's video is from the Lakeland PigFest. The band is Atlanta Rhythm Section. The video was shot by Darby Critendon....
In the midst of "deadlines and commitments," I neglected to mention Lakeland Local topped 500 posts. Surprisingly, the majority weren't maps. I've been working behind the scenes on some revisions and additions, but I'm just going to tease you today. Look for more news tomorrow. Meanwhile, some CSX news of interest:
The "Move Over" law in Florida states you must leave an empty lane between you and emergency vehicles or, if you can't, slow down at least 20 MPH below the speed limit. To help remind you of the law, the Lakeland Police Department will be out in force from 7:30 am to 3:00 pm today to help educate drivers in the following areas: • The Polk County Parkway. • Harden Blvd between Beacon Road and Lakeside Village Shopping Center. • South Road 98 (Bartow Highway) between Edgewood Drive and South Crystal Lake Drive. According to LPD, "Violators of this law will be stopped and given literature and anything from a verbal warning to a uniform traffic citation."
Writer Larry Thornberry was a reporter for the Ledger when he met William F. Buckley in 1976. Evidently the meeting made some impact... The interview took place in the living room of the upscale home of the Ledger's publisher, who, with his wife, was big in such limousine liberal circles as existed in Polk County, Florida, in those days. Contrary to the stereotype of the day -- conservative meanie vs. caring n' compassionate liberal nice guys -- Buckley the conservative was the very soul of graciousness, treating a reporter he had just met with all respect and civility, while the publisher treated me like hired help. Which I was, but that's no excuse. The wife and the uniformed maid ignored my existence. -- Buckley in the Provinces I'm willing to bet there are a couple of more sides to that story. I have no idea who was the publisher for the Ledger in 1976. Thornberry obviously doesn't name him. I plan to stop the library and read that article though. I wonder if Thornberry was able to keep his politics out of the story? Whether he did or not, it is a good reminder that not all reporters are liberal, not all media publishers are conservative, and it doesn't hurt to remind the public of our biases.
Tuesday House Representative Seth McKeel introduced HB 1143. Simply entitled University of South Florida Lakeland, HB1143 states: An act relating to the University of South Florida Lakeland; creating s. 1004.345, F.S.; establishing and designating the University of South Florida Lakeland campus; providing legislative intent; requiring the Board of Trustees to appoint a Campus Board; providing membership, powers, and duties of the Campus Board; providing that the university is administered by a Campus Executive Officer; requiring the President of the University of South Florida to consult with the Campus Board before hiring or terminating the Campus Executive Officer; providing duties and powers of the Campus Executive Officer; providing that students enrolled at a branch campus of the university have the same rights as other students; requiring the University of South Florida to provide for a system of student registration that meets certain conditions; providing an effective date. That pretty much sums up the bill. You can read a PDF of the full bill here.
The Detroit Tigers officially open spring training today with a game against the New York Mets. The weather won't e as warm as yesterday, but hopefully we'll have no rain. The Mets are bringing their A team to the game today. Unfortunately, I mean their Single-A team. MLB requires spring training teams take at least five players from the major league roster to every away game. That's exactly what the Mets are doing today: Ryan Church,Ramon Castro, Pedro Feliciano, Jorge Sosa and Mike Pelfrey are the MLB players scheduled to appear in Lakeland. When you go to the park be prepared for a couple of changes: parking went up to $7 and don't try to turn left onto Lakeland Hills Blvd. from Al Kaline. That's a right turn only now. You can solve both problems by getting to the game early and parking at the church at the corner of Grenada and Lakeland Hills. Parking there was just a $3 donation last year. • For those who read Lakeland Local on email or through a feed...remember there all all kinds of spring training maps and links on our home page special Spring Training column.
Yes, it's true. Starbucks will close today from 5 pm to 8:30 pm. Evidently it's time for a little retraining. In an effort to help those who need coffee to navigate I-4 at rush hour, Dunkin' Donuts will offer 99-cent small lattes, cappuccinos and espresso drinks today from 1 pm until 9:30. I'm not including a map of all Starbucks and Dunkin' Donut shops. The afternoon drive is too wired as it is. This information has been presented as public service announcement. With caffeine.
Bio: I’m a Christian, a husband, a father, a son, a real estate consultant, and now, an amateur writer. As well, I am a Republican member of the Florida House of Representatives, representing District 63, or parts of Polk and Hillsborough Counties. My goal in this space is to provide my insight and comment on events shaping our larger region. I hope to consistently remind my community that we live in a connected world and that our commitment to being a player in the Metro I-4 super-region will make all the difference in the world. Selfishly, I also hope to further develop my skills as an amateur writer - a muse with which I’ve always tinkered but, until now, never published. I hope you find depth in my insights and sincerity in their offering. And I hope you’ll let me know how I’m doing… email: mckeel@metroi4news.com