Carla Bayron

A local animal rescue group is sounding the alarm over a massive surge in abandoned cats across Polk County while calling for increased funding and new community solutions.

A grassroots committee submitted formal recall petitions Wednesday to remove the Fort Meade mayor and two city commissioners following intense community backlash over a massive artificial intelligence data center project.

Polk County Fire Rescue and its union reached a tentative agreement Tuesday to launch a new scheduling shift designed to improve work-life balance for local firefighters.

A newly formed historical society is fighting to save the last historic building in Eagle Lake from a city plan to tear it down and build a new city hall complex.

A driver tore through a retention pond in Highland City on Monday around 6:30 p.m., leaving residents in a local neighborhood facing costly repairs for repeated property damage.

Multiple Florida counties issued rabies alerts following recent cases, prompting Polk County animal officials to host a free pet rabies clinic in Lakeland.

Polk County commissioners voted last week to raise water connection fees and irrigation rates to manage surging construction expenses and conserve local groundwater.

Small-town leaders in Polk County are pushing back against a proposed state amendment that would dramatically raise Florida's homestead exemption, warning the change could cripple municipal budgets.

High school students across the area are stepping into the boots of law enforcement officers this week during a week-long summer academy designed to build career interest and personal confidence.

A late-morning thunderstorm submerged a Lakeland auto repair shop under nearly a foot of water last Thursday, reigniting frustration over unresolved local drainage issues.