Transportation officials implement HAWKS to oversee Lakeland pedestrians
Pedestrians will be able to walk safer in Lakeland after the Florida Department of Transportation has added a new crosswalk system on Memorial Boulevard.
Lakeland is the fifth most dangerous city for pedestrians in Florida.
The High-Intensity Activated CrossWalK Signals (HAWKS) was installed on Monday. Once the pedestrian presses the crossing button, lights flash yellow then goes to a solid yellow to warn drivers to start slowing down. The lights then turn solid red to tell drivers they need to stop.
The newly installed HAWKS signals are near Kettles Avenue, Vermont Avenue, Stella Avenue and Morgan Avenue in Lakeland.
The fight for a $15 minimum wage comes to a Tampa library
A battle to increase the minimum wage was set for discussion Wednesday night at the Charles J. Fending Public Library in Tampa.
The Fight For 15 Florida organization is scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. on Monday to discuss the Amendment 2 being voted on this November by Florida residents. The current minimum wage in Florida is $8.46, but under the proposed amendment, the minimum would raise to $15 an hour for fast-food workers.
“You don’t have to accept being underpaid, disrespected or taken advantage of…,” said Bobby Fields, an organizer for Fight For 15.
If Amendment 2 is passed, the minimum wage would raise to $10 first then increase by an extra dollar each year until 2026.
Trial starts in 21-year-old murder case that used DNA to revive cold case
A jury was selected on Monday morning for a murder case from 1999.
Luke Edward Fleming is accused of raping and killing Deborah Dalzell in her Sarasota home.
Dalzell was found dead in 1999 but no suspect was found at the time. New technology resulted in detectives arresting Fleming. DNA that was gathered at the original crime scene matched Fleming’s DNA through an online genealogy site.
This case is one of the first in Florida to use DNA from a person’s ancestry to solve a cold case.
Fleming was arrested in 2018 and has been locked up since then.
193 workers face uncertainty as Dunedin Plant closes
The fate of the workers at the closing Dunedin Coca-Cola plant was being decided Monday.
The plant’s closing impacts 193 workers. Officials from the Pinellas County Economic Development Board were meeting with representatives from Coca-Cola to discuss transitions for the workers.
The plant was founded in the 1940’s, and Coca-Cola took over the plant in 1988.
Coca-Cola announced that the plant would be fully shutting down, but the closure will take until the end of 2021.
Air Force veteran speaks on inspirational Tuskegee Airmen
The Metropolitan Ministries of Tampa honored the Tuskegee Airmen Monday to inspire others in Black History Month.
The Tuskegee Airmen were the first black pilots in the U.S. Army Air Corps and fought in World War Two.
Veteran pilot Reginald Davis took inspiration from the airmen to pursue flying, which led him to have a 21-year career. This will mark the fifth year in a row that Davis has come to the nonprofit to teach about the airmen.
The Metropolitan Ministries provides shelter and assistance for homeless and poor families and individuals in Tampa.
Celebration will continue with the public viewing of the 2012 motion picture, “Red Tails.”
Producer: Sonu Trivedi
Anchors: Lizbeth Gutierrez, Tommy McTague
Reporters : Alyssa Jones, Logan Semegram
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