Dozens of orchestras across the nation can keep playing for now, kept in tune by federal stimulus dollars aimed at saving jobs. ...more

July 11, 2009

It's a secret even Victoria doesn't know: Who stole nearly 100 bras from a Victoria's Secret store in Bradenton on a recent shopping day? ...more

July 8, 2009

The eight graders at J.D. Floyd K-8 all scored 3.5 or better on the FCAT Writing test. It was reported in Thursday's edition that Victoria Hernaiz was the only teacher in the county whose students accomplished that feat. In addition to her, one teacher at Challenger K-8 also had all of her students score higher than the desired state average. Ninety-eight percent of all the eighth-grade students at Challenger scored 3.5 or better. ...more

May 17, 2009

The only teenager to receive jail time for her role in the videotaped beating of a Polk County girl is back home. Brittini Hardcastle, 17, left jail this morning. She was sentenced Friday to 15 days behind bars and released today because she had previously served some of that time. ...more

March 24, 2009

Brittini Hardcastle, one of the five girls charged in the 2008 videotaped beating of a Polk County teen, was sentenced to 15 days in jail today. ...more

March 20, 2009

Two girls charged in the videotaped beating of a Polk County teen were sentenced to probation this morning. April Cooper was 14 and Kayla Hassell was 15 when they participated in the March 30, 2008, attack on Victoria Lindsay and recorded the beating on video. ...more

March 11, 2009

One of five teenage girls charged in the beating of another teen was sentenced today to three years of probation after pleading guilty to misdemeanor battery. Circuit Judge Keith Spoto also sentenced Mercades Nichols to 100 hours of community service and ordered that she pay restitution to victim Victoria Lindsay. ...more

March 6, 2009

One of five Polk County teens accused of beating a classmate last March was sentenced this morning to one year of probation. Britney Mayes was sentenced as a juvenile by Circuit Judge Keith Spoto at the Polk County courthouse in Bartow. ...more

March 5, 2009

Polk County deputies have charged the mother of one of the girls involved in the beating of a teenage girl recorded for YouTube with domestic battery in an unrelated incident. ...more

February 15, 2009

Brittany Mayes, one of five Polk County teens accused in the videotaped beating of Victoria Lindsay, pleaded guilty today to one charge of misdemeanor battery. A judge will make a decision on Mayes' sentence on March 5. The maximum penalty for the charge is one year in jail. ...more

January 20, 2009