Lakeland Local
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Downtown Saturday
Posted: 10 May 2008 08:35 AM CDT
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/287473747/downtown-saturday.html
What to do on a warm Saturday in Downtown Lakeland? At top, the guys from K&F Unlimited cook for donations at the Farmer's Market at 200 N. Kentucky Avenue. Below was the scene yesterday afternoon as vendors scrambled to set up their tents for Mayfaire on Lake Morton.
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Lakeland Local
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IF ITS TOO LOUD YOUR TO OLD
Posted: 09 May 2008 03:47 PM CDT
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/287062757/if-its-too-loud-your-to-old.html
I saw this truck in the Southgate parking lot this morning.
Who can find the fourth problem with this truck?
Lakeland Local
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Baseball at Brighthouse
Posted: 08 May 2008 11:28 PM CDT
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/286546075/baseball-at-brighthouse.html
I haven't seen any notice at Brighthouse online or in with my bill, but they've added a HD channel for Polk County subscribers with the MLB Extra Innings Package.
Each day Extra Innings has one or two games listed as HD. Until last week, those games were carried by Brighthouse only in standard definition. They are now carried in both standard and HD. The HD games will appear on channel 717.
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More Lakeland Crime
Posted: 08 May 2008 11:11 PM CDT
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/286537648/more-lakeland-crime.html
I'm attempting to get back on schedule with the weekly crime maps. The two maps and the stats are from the most recent data available from the Lakeland Police Department.
The small map at Lakeland Crime.
Full Page LakelandLocal.com Crime Map 04/28 to 05/04 2008
53 This week's stats:
07 Business Burglary
00 Business Robbery
04 Gang Grafitti
05 Personal Robbery
14 Residential Burglary
00 Residential Robbery
00 Attempted Stolen Vehicle
01 Recovered Stolen Vehicle
04 Stolen Vehicle
18 Vehicle Burglary
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Who is Running This Train?
Posted: 08 May 2008 06:06 AM CDT
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/286000376/who-is-running-this-train.html
On May 1, 2008, just before the Florida House and Senate failed to approve the CSX Project a news release was rushed to area officials and the media. It read in part:
"In addition, FTA has received and is finalizing agency approval of the Florida Department of Transportation’s (FDOT) project impact report. This report was recently required by FTA to examine noise, vibration, and rail crossing safety impacts along CSX Railroad’s S-Line that runs through the center of the state. Several residents along this alignment had expressed concerns about the impacts of additional freight traffic through the corridor, which CSX estimates will be an additional four trains per day. FDOT’s report found the impacts of the additional freight traffic will be negligible, which are the most highly favorable results the report could offer."-- Full release
Those interested in the project reported they had been given assurances that they would have a "formal opportunity to express their concerns." The press release caught them by surprise as they had not been given that chance by the FDOT and the FTA.
It wasn't a surprise that the release came from the office of Congressman John L. Mica, the Ranking Republican on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Mica had sent a "threatening letter" to the Florida legislature urging them to vote for the project.
When the project failed at the state level, Mica took over.
In this morning's Daytona Beach News Journal:
Mica is undeterred.
He secured a continuing commitment from CSX. He got the state Department of Transportation to go forward with the project, promising to keep designing the stations and routes and keep buying land for parking. He corralled assurances from the federal authorities to hold the money for Central Florida for a year. And he did it over the weekend.
By his projections, the only damage the recalcitrant Legislature did to the $1.2 billion train is to delay its opening six months.
The News-Journal also offers this quote: "If you push Central Florida back and it doesn't get a (train), then there's no possibility of a project linking Tampa to Orlando," Mica said
The article doesn't explain where Mica thinks a rail from Orlando to Tampa would be placed. CSX officials have been oft-quoted that the rail from Tampa to the East is not for sale.
Lakeland Local
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City Green Lights Cameras
Posted: 06 May 2008 06:20 AM CDT
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/284551551/city-green-lights-cameras.html
opinionThe City has given the go ahead to seek proposals to add red light cameras. according to a report from Rick Rousos at the Ledger.
This should come as no surprise to anyone. The City and the Ledger have been pushing for red light cameras for over a year. It took this long only because City Commissioners waited for the Florida Legislature to pass a state law. Evidently the House and Senate were busy with other business.
Since a company hasn't been chosen to install the cameras, there are no details how the Lakeland cameras will work. Except for this important point: "City officials say Lakeland police and not a private company will do the deciding when it comes to mailing infractions to drivers who run a red light." It is more common for the company to use out-of-town police to check and mail the infractions. Kudos to the City for going that route. I wonder how much the City Commissioners will add to the LPD budget for the new LPD position?
For new readers, Lakeland Local had a series of articles on red light cameras in March 2007. You might want to check how red light cameras work, why Lakeland wants cameras, and The Dilemma Zone?. If you read just one, read The Dilemma Zone.
"Unavoidable and intentional" drivers were best helped by increasing the yellow light duration an extra .5 to 1.5 seconds. These drivers account for the majority of "red light violations" and increasing yellow duration reduced violations about 50 per-cent. The study concluded drivers did adapt to the longer yellow, but that didn't undo the benefit of the increase. -- The Dilemma Zone
When the city gets proposals for the contracts, they should make sure Lakeland avoids problems experienced in some other cities:
Make sure the City does not have to pay for installing the cameras. Companies do this for a piece of the fines.
If a camera fails to replay it's cost, make sure the City isn't responsible for the difference.
If a camera is placed at an intersection with too few red light violations, make sure the City isn't responsible for the cost to move the camera.
At each red light camera intersection make sure the amber light is properly set for that intersection and traffic speed. Then add .5 second of yellow. Do not have Lakeland traffic engineers or red light camera operators shorten the amber lights at RLC intersections.
Install cameras that show enough of the intersection and infraction so that LPD officers can see if a car ran the light due to two rare reasons and one more common (1) moving out the way of emergency vehicles, (2) fear of an accident from behind, and more commonly (3) the vehicle was in the intersection before the light turned red.
Make sure Lakeland Traffic Operations checks and properly sets all signs and lights. Also have LTO inspect the placement of all cameras.
There will also be an outcry from some drivers that the cameras violate their privacy. That can be reduced by proper placement of the cameras. Because the cameras don't take a picture of the driver, most fines fall to the owner of the car.
Remember always, the goal is to reduce red light violations, not to make cash for the city. Don't succumb to temptation and reduce amber lights, or hide the placement of the cameras.
If Lakeland follows the experience of other cities, there will a reduction of intersection accidents caused by red light runners. That is offset by an increase in the number of rear-end collisions caused when a driver follows too close to a driver who stops at an amber light. Proponents of red light cameras say they don't mind the offset since rear end collisions are less life threatening. There will also be an increase in red light violations in intersections near the cameras as some drivers change their habits to avoid the cameras.
Finally, red light cameras designed to catch avoidable violations can benefit Lakeland drivers. It's up to the citizens to watch the lights as closely as the cameras will watch them. With any luck, in a couple of years the City will remove the cameras because there are too few red light violations.
Lakeland Local
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Lakeland Crime
Posted: 05 May 2008 09:27 AM CDT
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/283938022/lakeland-crime-1.html
Another week of crime and another crime map at Lakeland Crime
You can choose between the small crime map or the Full Size LakelandLocal.com Crime Map 04/21 to 04/27 2008
52 This week's stats:
07 Business Burglary
01 Business Robbery
04 Gang Grafitti
03 Personal Robbery
18 Residential Burglary
00 Residential Robbery
01 Attempted Stolen Vehicle
01 Recovered Stolen Vehicle
06 Stolen Vehicle
11 Vehicle Burglary
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Fog & Delay @ Harden
Posted: 05 May 2008 07:57 AM CDT
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/283885327/fog-delay-harden.html
The camera phone pic isn't the best, but that's Harden Blvd. Southbound is down to lane and is backed up from Grasslands Blvd to at least Ariana. If you know someone who takes that route, that's why they're late for work.
Fog & delay @ Harden CC by Chuck Welch.
Lakeland Local
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Lakeland Kills Commuter Rail?!
Posted: 04 May 2008 10:30 PM CDT
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/283644400/lakeland-kills-commuter-rail.html
1896635764Opinion
On the off chance you missed it, you'll want to read part one of Empirical Polk's new mini-series What's Next in the CSX ILC Commuter Rail Future?.
Josh asked some important questions. I'm looking forward to his answers.
However, I disagree with Josh that Lakeland killed the "commuter rail portion" of the CSX deal. CSX killed the commuter rail portion of the deal.
Commuter rail was never CSX's goal. They don't move people, they move freight. Selling 61 miles of extra track through a large city full of problem crossings, irritated politicians, and angry drivers was like Sunday ice cream for CSX.
Getting a modern ILC, rail improvements, and having taxpayers pay for it? That's the chocolate topping, cherry and nuts.
Except CSX wanted sprinkles too.
They overreached when they required the liability waiver. Business leaders wouldn't blame them for asking. After all, wouldn't you like to drive to work every day knowing you'd be held blameless for any mistake you made? Well, if not blameless, then at least blame with a monetary cap.
As the Sentinel reported, the liability issue brought in the Florida Justice Association. Now, that group has considerable pull. They were the anchors in the CSX deal tug of war. They weren't against commuter rail either. They simply wanted to make sure there was no liability waiver.
Of the people in Lakeland I've talked to who were against the CSX project, none expressed a desire to kill commuter rail. Lakeland kills commuter rail? That's just a sound bite.
When you discuss the CSX project around the water cooler and someone throws out that sound bite, gently inform them that a small group of citizens worked hard against secret back room deals, poorly planned projects, and a government bureaucracy hell-bent on stifling community input.
Not as glib, but far more factual.
Lakeland Local
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The CSX Project is Dead Like Dracula
Posted: 03 May 2008 08:20 AM CDT
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/282733761/the-csx-project-is-dead-like-d.html
1896635764Opinion
I wrote this over a year ago:
I know this is a complicated story. It ties in the Heartland Parkway, the CSX Hub, and the barely mentioned Central Florida Commuter Rail. We're just getting started.
Stay tuned.
Well, we've reached the cliffhanger at the end of season one. Will the project rise from the dead? If there is no need to move Taft will CSX eat the Winter Haven land purchase? Or will CSX finally admit they just want a modern facility that needs fewer employees and they hoped someone else would pay for it? Will our politicians realize that commuter rail is a state project, not a city project? Will DOT put together an open and fair study into the transportation problem? Will DOT officials learn that secret deals with private companies is not the way to run government? Will Orlando officials learn that working with their neighbors is a better method than playing sprawling bully ala Jabba the Hutt?
Just know that there is no "dead" when it comes to projects such as this one. There has been too much money spent, too many careers attached to completing the project, too many public relations efforts to sway the citizens, to let this project simply die today.
But season one is over, and for now, the money sucking vampire is in the ground. No matter which side of the project you're on, you have a handful of people to thank for that.
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever does. - Margaret Mead
I hope that small group of people woke up this morning rested with a sense of satisfaction. On Monday, the work starts anew. After seeing what just a few could do, maybe more townspeople will feel emboldened to join the fight.
Lakeland Local
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FSC Residential Life Building
Posted: 02 May 2008 06:36 AM CDT
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/282026918/fsc-residential-life-building.html
The construction fence has been removed from around the new Florida Southern College Residential Life Center. The building doesn't look like it is ready to open though.
Additional photos here, here, here and here
Lakeland Local
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Derailed?
Posted: 01 May 2008 06:27 AM CDT
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/281389481/derailed.html
I'm sure you're reading all over the Ledger, Sentinel, and Tribune that the CSX Project has been derailed.
Don't celebrate yet. As long as politicians are in session there is time for damage. Here's a paragraph from the Sentinel story:
But by midevening, supporters were holding out hope that they had found a solution. They said language restoring the project could be added back to the bill once it reaches the House, which would then send it back to the Senate for a straight up-or-down vote Friday.
I have a question of my Winter Haven friends. CSX and Winter Haven officials have said that the Winter Haven Rail Hub would be constructed no matter the result of the Orlando component. (Even though there would be no need to move the Taft rail yard.)
Tom Palmer spoke to Bob Gernert, Nat Birdsong, Deric Feacher and Dave Dicke in Tallahassee yesterday. If their project is not in danger, why are Winter Haven officials in Tallahassee working the House and Senate?
Lakeland Local
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Ladies & Gentlemen -- USF Polytechnic
Posted: 28 Apr 2008 03:42 PM CDT
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/279599450/ladies-gentlemen----usf-polytechnic.html
The USF Board of Trustees just voted unanimously to change the name of USF Lakeland to USF Polytechnic.
The name will officially change with the passage of the HB1143 which gives USF Polytechnic autonomy from USF Tampa.
From Rep. Seth McKeel's website (pdf):
HB 1143 University of South Florida Lakeland
Establishes & designates University of South Florida Lakeland campus; requires Board of Trustees to appoint Campus Board; provides that university is administered by Campus Executive Officer; provides that students enrolled at branch campus of university have same rights as other students; requires university to provide for a system of student registration that meets certain conditions.
In the House, I have sponsored HB 1143, a bill entitled University of South Florida Lakeland. This bill creates autonomy for USF Lakeland from its sister campus in Tampa, FL. This is on par with the USF regional campuses in both Sarasota and St. Petersburg. If it passes, USF Lakeland will have control over its daily affairs and be able to shape a unique vision for its own future. This legislation is critical to allowing USF Lakeland’s day to day operations to flow smoothly. Consequently, I will be working hard in the Florida House of Representatives to see that this bill passes. In the coming weeks, your Legislative Delegation will be calling on you to also do your part to see that the USF Lakeland Polytechnic Campus is established. It is important that public leaders in our state know what impact that this project will have on our community and it is up to you to share your thoughts with them. Every Polk County resident must stand together behind one message, “Lakeland deserves a Polytechnic Campus!”
Update: The official USF press release is after the jump.
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We still have the Lakeland Crime Report
Posted: 28 Apr 2008 06:31 AM CDT
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LakelandLocal/~3/279303621/weve-still-got-the-lakeland-cr.html
Yes, here are the links to yet another Lakeland Crime Map. You can always find the small maps at Lakeland Crime, and this week's full page map at LakelandLocal.com Crime Map 04/14 to 04/19 2008
43 This week's stats:
05 Business Burglary
00 Business Robbery
03 Gang Grafitti
02 Personal Robbery
18 Residential Burglary
01 Residential Robbery
00 Attempted Stolen Vehicle
02 Recovered Stolen Vehicle
04 Stolen Vehicle
08 Vehicle Burglary
Update: Anyone interested in an unpaid position as proofreader...let me know.
