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Keep Polk County Beautiful, Inc. is gearing up for its Annual Awards Dinner and Ceremony on Saturday, November 1, 2008 at Historic Bok Sanctuary.

Environmental Champion, Sadie Says “Litter Bugs Me”, Community Improvement and Adopt-A-Road Group of the year Awards will be given out at this prestigious ceremony to businesses, community groups, non-profit organizations and individuals who have a goal of cleaning up and improving communities. This includes litter prevention, beautification, minimizing the impacts of solid waste in the county and improving the general aesthetics of our county by utilizing eco-friendly methods.

If you know anyone who would qualify for these awards, please contact the Keep Polk County Beautiful, Inc. office to request a nomination form at (863)676-7019 or download a nomination form from the kpcbeautiful@yahoo.com home page.

Call Katie Perritt Chiappisi, Executive Director if you need descriptions of any of the above awards.

photo credit: Tom Hagerty

CommunityWalk Map - Lakeland Fl New Listing 09/06 to 09/13

Full Page Map - Lakeland Fl New Listings 09/06 to 09/13

For more information about Lakeland housing trends see: the Lakeland Real Estate Blog by Petra Norris

photo credit: Tom Hagerty

During the first three Tuesday nights of October, the League of Women Voters of Polk County will sponsor three forums focusing on the issues and candidates that you will choose in the November 4 General Election.

The forums will take place in the County Commission chamber at the Neil Combee County Administration Building, 330 West Church Street in Bartow.

The first event, to be held on October 7, will focus on the constitutional and charter amendments which will appear on the ballot. The following week will feature candidates for the Polk County Commission, with the October 21 forum concentrating on candidates for the United States Congress and Florida Senate.

These will be great events to meet and hear the various candidates for office, and an informed electorate helps all of us.

photo credit: Tom Hagerty

It was not a great weekend for the Tampa Bay Rays, dropping the finale of their series in the Bronx to the Yankees 8-4 and coming away from New York winning only one game of the three game series, and two of the six games the teams have played against each other during the past week and a half.

Meanwhile, the Boston Red Sox won this afternoon against Toronto 4-3, taking the four game series three games to one and bringing them into one game of the Rays in the race for the American League title.

The next three nights could determine that championship, as the Rays and BoSox face off starting Monday at Tropicana Field. Ace pitcher Scott Kazmir (11 - 6)will take the mound for the home team, facing off against Daisuke Matsuzaka (16 - 2).

If there is a series where the local baseball fans’ support is needed, this is it. Let’s hope the Rays’ fans pack the Trop for all three games!

Meanwhile, the Buccaneers came away with a 24 - 9 home NFL win against Atlanta this afternoon.

And congratulations to the South Florida Bulls, who in a nationally televised Friday night matchup of Top-25 teams defeated (some would actually say UPSET) the Kansas Jayhawks at Raymond James Stadium 37 - 34…thanks to a last second field goal by Lake Wales true freshman Maikon Bonani. This weekend will be one of those games where a team just coming off a huge win could be embarrassed easily, as the Bulls help Florida International University open it’s new stadium in Miami.

Finally, I would be remiss not to mention that my beloved Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles now own a record of 2 - 1 with victories against Louisiana - Lafayette and Arkansas State sandwiched between a loss at Auburn. This weekend will open a three game homestand and the start of the Golden Eagles’ Conference USA schedule against Marshall. GO EAGLES!!!

The St. Pete Times, on Aug. 31, ran a huge, mulitmedia investigation and story concerning the 2002 East Polk car crash that killed 16-year-old Miles White; left Adam Jacoby, son of state representative Marty Bowen, facing criminal charges; and led to the arrest of Deputy Scott Lawson on a variety of sex charges not related to the crash.

You can read the piece yourself. I recommend it. It alleges that Lawson likely caused the crash by ramming the car Jacoby was driving during a dubious early morning pursuit in his unmarked police vehicle. It further suggests the sheriff’s office sought to avoid liability in the case by doing a slipshod investigation. The sheriff’s office denies that and says Lawson did not ram the car.

Here’s the Times’ piece tagline:

I have no idea whether that caused The Ledger not to run the Laughlin piece. I have no idea if the critical focus on Sheriff Grady Judd and the sheriff’s office brass has given anybody pause. It’s entirely likely that the story is simply too long to run in the shrunken Ledger, or that editors are saving it for a day when they have space.

What I do know is that someone had to refer me to this story. I’m a pretty savvy media watcher, and I missed it. I found out about it only last week. This shows how, in many ways, what media organizations choose to emphasize or ignore is more important than what the actually produce. CSX was a classic example of this. Lookat the difference in the way The Tribune, The Sentinel, The Ledger, and even The St. Pete Times approached it. Same facts, same characters being written about; radically different approaches and results. [Obviusly, I think The Tribune's work was light years better than the others. But I'm biased, of course.] In this world, media orgs, including non-MSM outlets, make news by what they choose to emphasize or ignore. They should engage each other accordingly. Hence my “Bitterest Woman In Orlando” posts from a few weeks ago.

2) Time and resources matter: The person who referred me to the story said Laughlin asked him why The Ledger had never done this level of investigation itself. The tempting answer for cynics goes something like this: Grady Judd is Polk County’s daddy, a bulletproof political figure and Central Florida media star. Newspapers and television depend on his office for a huge percentage of their breaking news, and it delivers. So they are not going to challenge him and risk losing the rather remarkable access he provides. Judd intimidates through his openness and popularity. Meg Laughlin doesn’t have to deal with Judd on a daily basis, so she’s free to rake him without consequences.

There may be some element of truth in this. But I actually don’t think Juddfilia - or phobia - keeps The Ledger from investigating his office. In fact, the paper has had any number of run-ins over the years.  

My best explanation is less conspiratorial and far more troubling longterm. It’s a simple matter of time and resources. I was an editor with The Ledger back when this happened. I don’t remember the specifics of our coverage, but I don’t recall any deference. The general perception among reporters and editors was that Lawson’s role in the crash was highly fishy, and I think that got reported.

What we didn’t do, at some point, was assign someone to wade through all the documents. I’m not clear when they became available, so I’m not sure when  the best time would have been. But between 2002 and the time I left in 2006, we had two outstanding, dedicated court reporters - Jeff Scullin and Jason Geary - who wrote any number of hard-hitting pieces. Just not about this case. They did that while chronicling the daily wheels of justice.

When I started at The Trib, I had relatively wide freedom to investigate big, complex stories. But that freedom, otherwise known as time, shrunk day-by-day as we retooled to emphasize daily breaking news.  

Doing what Meg Laughlin did in this case takes time and expertise. I’d love to hear from her how long it took her to produce this and what her other assignments were. As news organizations shed reporters and emphasize online breaking news - and as fewer smart, dedicated people find this an attractive industry - these types of reports are going to dwindle. I know this is no great insight, but it doesn’t make it less sad.

3) Police agencies have enormous power to drive news: It is striking to read Laughlin’s piece and see how all these people with the sheriff’s office who I know as incredibly open and friendly to daily crime reporting have very little to say about this case.

They’ve had even less to say in the aftermath of the story. In fact, agency policy seems to be to ignore it. That’s smart, from the sheriff’s office point of view. The news cycle starts fresh each day. Hell, almost each hour now. And the nature of it provides almost limitless opportunity for Grady Judd and his folks to get on television, say something charmingly forceful about criminals, and win the day. I don’t say this as a criticism of the sheriff’s office. It’s just the skillful recognition and exploitation of the world as it is. I’d do the same thing in their place. There’s no price to pay for ignoring a critical report if no one else chooses to emphasize it.  And if it’s complicated, no one’s going to pick it up.

It’s the visceral stuff - dumping somebody out a wheelchair on camera, some sexual matter, or getting caught driving drunk - that has legs. Abuse of power, because it’s almost always complicated, doesn’t.

This appears very near the end of Laughlin’s story:

Hank B. Campbell, attorney for Polk Sheriff Grady Judd, recently wrote the Times a letter: “The accusations you are apparently making that this accident was not fully investigated, that the allegations regarding Scott Lawson were not fully investigated, or that there has been some cover up … are false and without factual basis.”

Should the newspaper persist with its “deeply troubling campaign of misinformation,” Campbell wrote, his law firm would recommend that the sheriff take action “to properly communicate the truth.”

Believe me, Hank. There’s no need.

Ah, such quaint, quaint times those were.

She lied about going to Iraq.

She (and he) lied about the Bridge to Nowhere.

They lied about requesting earmarks. Even on The View.

They lied about the size of their crowds.

These are just the ones I can track down. Wait till Monday, and they’ll lie about something else. What will we tell the children, Dr. Dobson? Talk about selling your souls for a mess of pottage.

And here I thought there was a commandment not to bear false witness. You would have thought placing the giant commandment rock in county administration building would have reminded us all of our Biblical moral obligations. Again, how quaint.

It’s instructive - and helpful - to learn that some large percentage of conservative political Christians consider a child licking a baby’s hair as a get out of remotely-telling-the-truth-about-anything card for their parent or presidential godfather. I have a 5-year-old. I’m sure I can scare up a baby somewhere, whose hair he can lick. It’ll be a license to lie. You guys will understand, right. Speak up.

Oh, and by the way, here’s the specific book she wanted to ban and then backed off because of heat: “Daddy’s Roommate.” Why am I not shocked?

Take a read of this whole piece, if any of you care. A profile that lays out what she does, not who she claims to be. This is what we’ll get.

We can give thanks today that Hurricane Ike was not the catastrophic event that many had predicted. While it was indeed a powerful storm that covered an extraordinary area of the Gulf of Mexico, the expected 20-25 foot storm surge did not take place. Of course, that’s no comfort to the people on Galveston Island and elsewhere along the coast whose homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed by the force of Nature, but when everything is said and done, they came away damned lucky.

One lesson that I’m certain many people in the region came away with — and one that we here in Florida can learn as well — is that when officials order an evacuation in anticipation of a hurricane or tropical storm, it’s a good idea to take heed and follow their guidance. I can understand the reluctance of many to leave, especially with the chaos that resulted before Hurricane Rita just a few years ago where more people died in the evacuation than in the actual storm. And I can understand many who consider staying behind to protect their home and property. But homes and property can be replaced…lives cannot. Just ask the hundreds of coastal Texans that made the wrong decision and had to be rescued by air or boat in the aftermath this weekend. And consider the men and women who knowingly put their children in harm’s way by staying…there’s simply no excuse.

The bottom line is for all of us to learn from what just happened this weekend. After all, we’re only halfway through the hurricane season.

Special to Lakeland Local by community activist Al Whittle

Democracy is like good health: use it or lose it! Our system only works if the majority of us stay abreast of what’s going on; participate knowledgeably in our government; vote for the candidates best able to serve the community; and demand accountability.

Polk County just completed an important primary election where only 16% bothered to vote – the most basic of citizen responsibilities in a democracy — a privilege beyond the grasp of most people on this planet! And, voting is incredibly easy today. One email to the Supervisor of Elections will deliver every ballot for the year to your mailbox. No time off from work is required; no inconvenient trip to the nearest precinct. How much easier can it get? And where were the other 84% of you on election day?

Think about it. Bob English wasn’t elected by 44%. He was elected by 44% of the 16% who actually voted. So, 7% of us determined who will govern us for the next four years! Likewise Sam Johnson was sent to the general election by less than 9% of us. This isn’t about who got elected – or didn’t. It’s about our loss of democracy because most of us refuse to take part in our government. Yet, we all want to gripe about how it works—or doesn’t.

For all who think supporting the troops and honoring veterans means plastering stickers on your cars and flying tattered faded flags that you obviously haven’t looked at since 9/11/01, this combat vet says: “Stop it!” You’re not honoring anyone; you’re insulting us and demeaning 232 years of honorable service and sacrifice.

Flying flags and displaying stickers are fine – unless you think that’s all there is to it. The best way to support our troops and honor veterans is to exercise your responsibility as a citizen and the freedoms we bought you.

Our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines will never surrender our republic. But we are giving it away slowly through citizen apathy. No amount of battlefield heroism can turn that around.

Right now Polk County is not operating as a democracy. We are governed by a very small group that actually participates in the process – in many cases behind the scenes. Gosh, an outsider might see some similarities with Cuba, Iran, and other places where most folks have no voice. The difference is that we’re giving away our freedom by not caring enough to even perform the minimum obligations of citizenship.

The 84% who don’t even care enough to vote need to pull up their socks and start acting like real Americans. Otherwise, this wonderful, but fragile, system of government will fail from the bottom up.

Please get involved now and cast an informed vote on November 4th.

If this aging warrior seems angry, it’s because I am. We simply have no right to fritter away what all of those who rest in Arlington and lie wounded in Walter Reed have given since 1776 just because we’re too lazy or uninterested to do our part.

photo credit: Bill.Roehl

photo credit: Tom Hagerty

Today, a group of people who are supporting Riverview Democrat Doug Tudor’s candidacy to replace Republican incumbant Adam Putnam as the 12th District Congressional Representative gathered at the Lakeland downtown post office with a little help for Putnam: Boxes for the Bartow native to help in what will be his permanant return to Polk County.

Each member of the group brought a box to put toogether, which were addressed and stamped to be mailed to Putnam’s Washington office.

Each box also included a message. In this case, the message read:

Members of the crowd preparing to purchase the postage for their boxes. Among the people I got to meet here was Susan S., a regular contributor to the Florida Progressive Coalition Blog who has been a HUGE supporter of Master Chief (Ret.) Tudor. The candidate was also present to send his own box and meet some of the Saturday crowd out getting their mailings out.

I was watching a little ESPN when this ran:

Aw, shucks, his family loves him. But, it wasn’t the narration I liked the best. It was the text at the bottom:

• ‘The Ironman’ - Legislator of the Year 2008 by the Florida Professional Firefighters Assn.
I couldn’t find notice of the award, but I find it interesting Alexander got an award from a group opposing Amendment 2, the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment. Strange bedfellows, indeed.

• ‘Jobs mean more than prisons & landfills’ - JD Alexander
What? There are no jobs in prisons and landfills?

&bull: “Education: The reason I ran for Office.” - JD Alexander
Whose? I’m serious. What does he mean? He was a one issue candidate?

• “Lower taxes, Less waste” - JD Alexander
The least meaningful phrase in all politics. Right up there with “We gotta play ‘em one day at a time.” in baseball.

• “Alexander kept his word” - The Ledger 4/11/08
Now that was easy to find. It was in a Ledger article, Colt Creek Money Replaced, written by Bill Rufty. Here you go:
“Alexander said the missing money was just an oversight forgetting to put it in, but some Senate colleagues said the missing funds for four state parks, which had been recommended by officials in the parks division of the had Department of Environmental Protection, were purposefully removed

$3 million to be exact.

I also liked the last frame “Senator JD Alexander” and below that “Call JD Alexander.”

They neglected to inform voters what to call him, or supply a number. I have it for you: 800-444-9747.

In case you missed it, the advertisement was paid for by The Florida Chamber of Commerce Alliance, Inc..

I’ve alway wondered how many voters decide who to vote for based on these 30-second commercials. The way the commercials proliferate, I guess quite a few.

photo credit: lakelandlocal

I can guess one phrase you’ll hear PLENTY of discussion about this weekend…everyone say it together with me…”Lipstick on a Pig”. And I’m sure plenty of critique of Sarah Palin’s first network interview, too.

ABC NEWS / This Week with George Stephanopoulos: U.S. Senator and Obama supporter Claire McCaskill (D - MO) along with former Hewlitt-Packard CEO and McCain supporter Carly Fiorina. Also, a discussion of the state of the economy with former Federal Reserve System Chairman Alan Greenspan. In the roundtable: Democratic strategist Paul Begala, Jay Carney of Time, ABC News‘ Claire Shipman, and conservative columnist George Will of the Washington Post Writers Group.

BAY NEWS 9 / Political Connections: Bay News 9 does not provide advance notice of the guests or topics for Political Connections.

CBS NEWS / Face the Nation with Bob Schieffer: As of Friday evening, the guests and topics had not been announced. Please check back for updates.

CABLE NEWS NETWORK / Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer: The latest on Hurricane Ike recovery efforts with key emergency management officials in the area, and Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator R. David Paulison. Then, back to politics with a full court press of the presidential campaign featuring U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D - CA), Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn (R - TN), Governors Tim Pawlenty (R - MN) and Bill Richardson (D - NM), McCain Economic Adviser Nancy Pfotenheuer, Obama Campaign Adviser Linda Douglass, Democratic political strategists Donna Brazile and Hillary Rosen, and Washington Times conservative columnist Tara Wall.

FOX NEWS / Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace: Two Alaskan political insiders — Former Governor Tony Knowles (D) and Lieutenant Governor Sean Parnell — will appear to tell us more about current Governor and GOP Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin. Also, former White House Chief of Staff Karl Rove and Pentagon Memorial Fund president Jim Laychak, followed by the usual roundtable discussing various issues of the day, including Bill Kristol, co-founder of The Weekly Standard, along with Juan Williams and Mara Liasson of National Public Radio

NBC NEWS / Meet the Press: A discussion of the presidential campaign with former New York City Mayor and McCain supporter Rudolph Guiliani and Obama supporter / U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer (D - NY). Afterward, the weekly political roundtable with NBC News Political Director Chuck Todd and Washington Post Associate Editor and author Bob Woodward.

SYNDICATED / The Chris Matthews Show: The questions for discussion: Obama’s on defense — are Democrats worrying too soon about his chances? And how will women view Palin’s decision to balance motherhood and the VP job? The panelists: NBC News Senior Vice President and Washington Bureau Chief Mark Whitaker (God, what HUGE shoes to fill…remember, he’s taking the position last filled by the late Tim Russert), British Broadcasting Corporation Washington Correspondent/Anchor Katty Kay, Patrick Healy of the New York Times, and Atlanta Journal-Constitution Editorial Page Editor Cynthia Tucker.

WEDU-TV 3 / Florida This Week with Rob Lorei: It’s a fundraising week for the public broadcasting station. This week instead of the usual roundtable of discussion concerning issues affecting West Central Florida, Rob Lorei does a one-on-one interview with PBS journalist Bill Moyers.

WFTS-TV 28 / Flashpoint with Brendan McLaughlin: Hillsborough County Commissioner Brian Blair (R) and election opponent Kevin Beckner (D) will face off in this week’s episode. Brendan especially suggests that you “stick around for the second segment where the issue of gay tolerance animates the discussion considerably”.