When I was city editor at The Ledger in the mid-1980s, a bunch of newsroom staffers routinely climbed an interior ladder to the roof of the newspaper building to watch Space Shuttle launches. We had a clear view of the contrails 85 miles away, especially on a clear day like Jan. 28, 1986.
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A Global Podcast Turns Very Local
Strange things happened Friday. I listened to a podcast and art became reality in ways that involved a local musician and a sappy song that evoked an unexpected response in me.
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When I formed LkldNow in 2015, I became a reporter again after 38 years as an editor.
At first, it felt like it was taking me longer to write articles than when I was a fresh-out-of-college rookie in the mid-1970s. I thought it was because I was re-learning the craft — and that might have been true.
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Bicycle Tour Gives a Close-Up View of Vietnam
There’s no place in Florida to adequately train for a bicycle ride up a long mountain trail like the spectacular climb to the Hai Van Pass in Vietnam. The ride takes you up 1,627 feet from nearly sea level, through a lush forest, to a windy overlook with photo-inspiring views of the South China Sea. The abandoned bunkers at the pass are sober reminders that French and then American soldiers fought there in the mid 20th Century.
I’ve felt a bit like a proud parent as I’ve watched more businesses and organizations in Lakeland include the abbreviation Lkld in their names and online identities.
LkldNow, the news website I founded, wasn’t the first; I believe LkldTV gets that honor. But I was there when some early Twitter adopters decided more than eight years ago to formalize use of #lkld to identify posts about Lakeland.
Somebody posed the right question the other day when I asked on Facebook for reactions to the new design of The Ledger’s print edition: Why did they do it?
For a week until everybody got sick of it, there was a Facebook/Twitter meme: List 10 concerts you had seen and let your followers guess which one was a lie. Here’s my variation: the 10 concerts I considered going to but couldn’t or didn’t — and I’m still kicking myself:
It’s been a busy month in Lakeland, Florida. I finally launched lkldnow.com – mobile news to connect you to Lakeland.
Reaction has been great. I had my best day ever yesterday, driven by a story I broke about a $13 million plan to buy and renovate Lakeland Cash Feed into a much larger home for Catapult.
A screenshot from the real estate listing.
The Ledger’s headquarters building in downtown Lakeland is up for sale, as is its office housing The News Chief in Winter Haven.
I'm a digital journalist and recovering newspaper guy who lives in Lakeland, Fla. more...