The Fort Meade Leader

Residents who want to use city recreation facilities, like the pavilion at the Fort Meade Outdoor Recreation area, might get a case of sticker shock. That’s because the rates to use such sites took a dramatic jump last week when the Fort Meade Commission approved new fees that are in … read more.

LATEST LOCAL NEWS

Citrus media plan could be a million less
Sun May 20 2012 08:01AM

Faced with lower revenue by $5.8 million for next year’s budget, the Florida Citrus Commission approved a less costly media plan during a recent meeting at the Florida Department of … read more.

Money woes complicate summer schools
Mon May 21 2012 11:22AM

Polk County third graders who are struggling with reading may be headed to a summer reading camp this year while middle and high schoolers with academic problems will be going … read more.

Commission extends impact fee moratorium
Mon May 21 2012 11:21AM

In the effort to increase business growth in Polk County, and after hearing from six people who have taken advantage of not having to pay impact fees the last two … read more.

Dockery: Leadership needed at Polytech
Sun May 13 2012 08:02AM

Swan songs were heard in the Lakeland Center’s Youkey Theater a week ago when both USF Polytechnic in Lakeland and State Sen. Paula Dockery took their final bows. Dockery, who … read more.

More Local News

No emphasis for physical education
Thu May 10 2012 08:01AM

Polk County Commissioner Ed Smith wants to know where the activity went and whether that can deal with the obesity problem he says this country has been facing. “We don’t put an emphasis on physical education. When I went to … read more.

Commissioners don’t like term limits but will follow them
Mon May 21 2012 11:19AM

The Florida Supreme Court unanimously ruled last week that voters can impose term limits on county commissioners. The court went back from a 2002 ruling that blocked term limits for other offices such as clerks of court. “Receding from the … read more.

English: Education is economic development tool
Thu May 10 2012 08:01AM

Education and business should be tied together, one county commissioner suggested at a joint county commission and school board meeting last week. He said a good educational system can not only attract businesses but can also provide students an advantage … read more.

No more early learning money
Thu May 10 2012 08:01AM

Polk County Commissioner Bob English wondered why the county has been spending nearly a half-million a year for the Early Learning Coalition and why that isn’t something the school district would pay for. The answer was the school district may … read more.

$15,000 raised for Hutto family
Thu May 17 2012 08:00AM

The Brady Hutto Memorial Benefit was a fundraiser Saturday at The First Baptist Church in Auburndale. The benefit organized by Spradlen Promotions was held in Brady Hutto’s memory to help the Hutto’s family with expenses. Brady was a 21-month-old who … read more.

MOSI has mummies
Thu May 17 2012 08:00AM

Tampa’s Museum of Science and Industry may have taken “creepy in a good way” to new heights with their latest exhibit “Mummies of the World.” More than 150 artifacts including the mummies, one of which dates from more than 6,000 … read more.

Schools to respond to bullying lawsuit
Thu May 17 2012 08:00AM

The Polk County School Board is “mounting a vigorous response” to a bullying lawsuit filed against recently it by the parents of a former Palmetto Elementary School student, according to the board’s District Counsel Wes Bridges. “We are readying our … read more.

Vendors sought for Hurricane Expo
Thu May 17 2012 04:47PM

Polk County Fire Rescue is looking for vendors for the annual Polk County Hurricane Expo planned June 2 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at Lake Eva Banquet Hall in Haines City. The expo offers residents an opportunity to educate and prepare … read more.

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State, National and World News

Bee Gees’ Robin Gibb dies at age 62
Sun May 20 2012 09:38PM

LONDON (AP) — Robin Gibb, a founding member of the Bee Gees who helped propel the group to international stardom, has died. He was 62. Gibb’s representative Doug Wright announced in a statement that Gibb passed away Sunday “following his … read more.

Egypt prepares to choose a president
Sun May 20 2012 09:36PM

CAIRO — Sixty years after their country came under military dictatorship, Egyptians are for the first time freely electing their president. The voting that begins Wednesday is the greatest prize won by the multitudes who took to the streets to … read more.

Thousands begin Chicago NATO protest
Sun May 20 2012 09:34PM

CHICAGO (AP) — Thousands of demonstrators upset with the war in Afghanistan, climate change and the erosion of union rights marched through downtown Chicago on Sunday, taking their discontent on a wide range of world issues to leaders assembled for … read more.

Black undercount in 1940 US census
Sun May 20 2012 09:34PM

BC-US--1940 Census-Undercount, 1st Ld-Writethru,1095 New 1940 US census records show black undercount AP Photo NYR402, NYR403, NYR401, NYR404 %reldate(2012-05-20T17:57:04 (Eds: Rewrites throughout with background, comments, quotes. With AP Photos. A video explainer that shows how to navigate the 1940 Census … read more.

US party leaders refuse to budge on debt positions
Sun May 20 2012 09:34PM

WASHINGTON — Republicans and Democrats are refusing to budge when it comes to their already hardened positions on spending cuts versus tax increases to deal with the nation’s debt. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, … read more.

Activists accused of NATO summit plots
Sun May 20 2012 09:34PM

CHICAGO (AP) — Prosecutors charged two more activists Sunday with crimes tied to the two-day NATO summit, accusing one of saying he wanted to blow up a downtown Chicago bridge and a second with seeking to build pipe bombs. The … read more.

Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg weds
Sun May 20 2012 09:34PM

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A day after the historic Facebook IPO, founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg updated his status Saturday to “married.” Zuckerberg wed 27-year-old Priscilla Chan, his girlfriend of nearly a decade, according to a guest authorized to speak … read more.

NATO shifts to help Afghan peace
Sun May 20 2012 09:34PM

CHICAGO — The NATO alliance that has fought for a decade in Afghanistan is helping that nation shift toward stability and peace, but there will be “hard days ahead,” President Barack Obama said Sunday as alliance leaders insisted the fighting … read more.

Scott looks past ’12 election to ’14 re-election
Sun May 20 2012 09:34PM

JACKSONVILLE — Republican Gov. Rick Scott is already getting ready for the 2014 election. So are the Democrats who hope to challenge him. The Republican Party of Florida is buying television ads to promote Scott’s policy successes in hopes of … read more.

Report: Mom shot her 4 children 18 times
Sun May 20 2012 09:32PM

PORT ST. JOHN (AP) — A Florida mother who killed her four children fired a revolver against the chest of at least two of them, shooting 18 rounds before turning the gun on herself, according to a medical examiner’s report. … read more.

Ancient skulls found in Florida puzzle experts
Sun May 20 2012 09:28PM

ORLANDO (Orlando Sentinel) — At first, it appeared to be a discovery with sinister implications: Two skulls unearthed by a swimming pool contractor in a Winter Garden, Fla., neighborhood. Now, the human remains are the focus of an archaeological mystery. … read more.

World leaders confront Afghan withdrawal strategy
Sat May 19 2012 09:44PM

KABUL, Afghanistan — It was what President Barack Obama called a “war of necessity,” a conflict thrust upon America by the 9/11 attacks. As NATO’s mission here winds down nearly 11 years later, the insurgents remain undefeated, corruption runs rife … read more.

Tropical storm forms off SC
Sat May 19 2012 09:44PM

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The first tropical storm of the season formed Saturday off the coast of South Carolina with top winds of 45 mph, but it wasn’t threatening land. Forecasters say tropical storm Alberto was centered about 140 miles … read more.

Debate grows over DNA disclosure
Sat May 19 2012 09:44PM

Camilla Grondahl asked genetics researcher Gholson Lyon a simple, heartbreaking question: Was she carrying a lethal gene that might kill her unborn baby? Grondahl, 29, didn’t want to terminate her pregnancy, which began in 2010. She just wanted to know … read more.

Woman gets 20 years for firing warning shot
Sat May 19 2012 09:44PM

TAMPA, Fla. — Marissa Alexander had never been arrested before she fired a bullet at a wall one day in 2010 to scare off her husband when she felt he was threatening her. Nobody got hurt, but this month a … read more.

SpaceX rocket launch aborted in last half-second
Sat May 19 2012 09:42PM

CAPE CANAVERAL (AP) — A new private supply ship for the International Space Station remained stuck on the ground Saturday after rocket engine trouble led to a last-second abort of the historic flight. All nine engines for the SpaceX Falcon … read more.

Skeletons in Sen. Rubio’s closet?
Sat May 19 2012 09:42PM

MIAMI — For freshman Sen. Marco Rubio, a rising GOP figure seen as a possible Mitt Romney running mate, there are questions about whether potential vulnerabilities in his personal and political background might hold him back. The 40-year-old Florida lawmaker … read more.

UK surveillance program could bare private lives
Fri May 18 2012 10:02PM

LONDON — British officials have given their word: “We won’t read your emails.” But experts say the government’s proposed new surveillance program will gather so much data that spooks won’t have to read your messages to guess what you’re up … read more.

Fla. to scrutinize 182,000 voters
Fri May 18 2012 10:02PM

TALLAHASSEE — Florida officials, responding to skeptical comments this week from county election supervisors, said they are now going to double-check whether 182,000 registered voters are U.S. citizens. State officials announced late Thursday that the Florida agency that handles driver’s … read more.

Stocks fall on Europe worries
Fri May 18 2012 10:02PM

NEW YORK (AP) — It’s going to take more than Facebook’s initial public offering to push the stock market higher. Facebook shares rose 23 cents above their $38 offering price. It seemed like everything else fell. The Dow Jones industrial … read more.

CDC to baby boomers: Test for hepatitis C
Fri May 18 2012 10:02PM

ATLANTA — For the first time, the government is proposing that all baby boomers get tested for hepatitis C. Anyone born from 1945 to 1965 should get a one-time blood test to see if they have the liver-destroying virus, the … read more.

Facebook’s big day
Fri May 18 2012 10:02PM

NEW YORK — Facebook updated its status to “public company” on Friday. After an anxiety-filled half-hour delay, its stock began trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market for the first time as investors were finally able to put a dollar value … read more.

200-year-old shipwreck found in Gulf
Fri May 18 2012 10:02PM

NEW ORLEANS — An oil company exploration crew’s chance discovery of a 200-year-old shipwreck in a little-charted stretch of the Gulf of Mexico is yielding a trove of new information to scientists who say it’s one of the most well-preserved … read more.

Fla. mom who killed self, 4 kids endured violence
Fri May 18 2012 10:00PM

MIAMI (AP) — A child welfare investigator who spoke with Tonya Thomas in the weeks before she fatally shot herself and her four children said there were no signs that the children were in distress or felt unsafe. But hundreds … read more.

Self-defense evidence mixed for Zimmerman
Fri May 18 2012 10:00PM

ORLANDO (AP) — When George Zimmerman tries to convince a judge or jury that he shot Trayvon Martin in self-defense, the evidence he’ll be able to call on appears to be a mixed bag. More than 200 pages of photos … read more.

Rocket, weather look good on eve of new space era
Fri May 18 2012 10:00PM

CAPE CANAVERAL (AP) — NASA hasn’t seen this much prelaunch jitters since the space shuttle program ended last summer. On Saturday, a private company is set to make history by launching a supply ship to the International Space Station. The … read more.

Greece, Spain issues test eurozone
Fri May 18 2012 09:58PM

MADRID (AP) — Chaos in Greek politics and Spanish banking combined this week to underscore just how fragile Europe’s economy remains after an eviscerating austerity regime that has spawned unemployment, desperation and misery. And there is no respite in sight, … read more.

Facebook stock up slightly in public debut
Fri May 18 2012 04:26PM

NEW YORK (AP) — Facebook updated its status to “public company” on Friday. After an anxiety-filled half-hour delay, its stock began trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market for the first time as investors were finally able to put a dollar … read more.

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