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Bill Rufty has 71 articles published.

Former Ledger of Lakeland columnist Bill Rufty is Central Florida political correspondent for SaintPetersBlog and Florida Politics. Rufty had been with the Ledger from 1985-2015, where, as political editor, he covered a wide range of beats, including local and state politics, the Lakeland City Commission, and the Florida Legislature. Ledger editor Lenore Devore said about Rufty’s 30-year career: “[He is] a man full of knowledge, a polling expert and a war history buff … who has a steel trap in his brain, remembering details most of us have long since forgotten.”

‘Fake news: What is it; How to spot it’ event in Lakeland Sunday

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

Barry Friedman, editor and publisher of the online news site, lkldnow.com,  will discuss the evolution of fake news as a major issue in current events and how readers can become more discerning of online postings. Entitled “Fake News: Democracy in an Age of Media Bubbles and Infotainment News,” the event will be held 3:30 – 5:30 p.m., Sunday at the Just Dance Studio, 124 S. Kentucky Ave., Lakeland. An “admission fee” of $5 is requested for light refreshments during the…

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Polk County Democratic Women’s Club to host Lakeland walk, rally

in The Bay and the 'Burg by

The Democratic Women’s Club of East Polk County will sponsor a walk and rally at Lake Mirror in downtown Lakeland 5-6:30 p.m., Sunday, which it says is to emphasize women’s and social rights. Karen Welzel, president of the club, said the rally followed by the march around the lake is “to give a voice to groups and individuals feeling marginalized and attacked during this election cycle, and to bring to the forefront issues of importance to women.” Among those issues,…

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Bill Rufty: Will I-4, Polk County Go Blue?

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Tuesday will reveal whether the I-4 corridor is still an important swing corridor or whether it has become an important Democratic Party corridor. Both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump hit the counties along that stretch of interstate many times as well — and not just the big cities of St. Petersburg, Tampa and Orlando. Smaller cities and towns were targets as well. Donald Trump held a rally at the Lakeland Linder Airport and Tim Kaine, presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s running mate,…

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Hispanic Polk Republicans to protest Hillary Clinton in Lakeland

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The Hispanic Republican Club of Polk County plans a protest rally against Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton at 5 p.m. Thursday at the intersection of Florida Avenue and Edgewood Drive in Lakeland. The intersection where north-south and east-west thoroughfares cross has been a favorite of sign wavers and protesters for decades. From a candidate who used to dress as Uncle Sam, to one campaign that featured a rock band, to a street preacher with a megaphone, the intersection is somewhat…

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Polk School Board candidate Becky Troutman hosting affordable campaign event

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Polk County School Board candidate Becky Troutman will hold a low-dollar fundraiser Tuesday, Oct. 18, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Leland Young’s Show Barn, 2905 Central Ave., Bartow. Campaign donations for the event and eats are at an affordable $20 per family. Troutman is the wife of former Republican State Rep. Baxter Troutman, who represented House District 66 from 2003-2010. In March 2008, Baxter Troutman proposed to Becky, his longtime girlfriend, on the floor of the Florida House. Advance reservations can be made…

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More civics; more civility, says Dennis Ross

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

The vitriolic presidential campaign and its controversies are due in a major part to the education system failing to retain one of its traditional and historical obligations, the teaching of civics, U.S. Rep. Dennis Ross, a Lakeland Republican, told a meeting of a Kiwanis Club in his hometown Thursday. “I have never seen anything like it,” Ross said of the combative campaigns and crowds this year. “And the reason is that we don’t teach our kids — the next generation —…

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Bill Rufty: House District 41 candidates going for the money

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

Sam Killebrew, Republican candidate for Florida House District 41, has raised a campaign war chest double that of Democratic candidate Bob Doyel, who nevertheless raised more than any Democrat running for the district in 16 years. The battle for the open seat is the only competitive race among the seven legislative seats in Polk County that have elections. In the latest campaign finance reporting period, Sept. 3 through Sept. 16, Killebrew reported raising $7,400 to bring his total contributions during…

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