LAKELAND Two Polk sheriff’s deputies were seriously wounded and the man who shot them was killed when a gunfight erupted at a public park on Saturday, according to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. Judd praised his deputies as heroes, saying they were shot while trying to pull an uncooperative
LAKELAND U.S. Rep. Scott Franklin did not enjoy the smooth and inconspicuous entry into Congress that most new House members receive.
The Lakeland Republican took his oath of office on Jan. 3, as the House of Representatives remained largely shuttered by precautions against the COVID-19 pandemic, then raging throughout the country.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump continued refusing to accept his loss in the 2020 election, repeating unsupported claims of electoral fraud. He urged supporters to focus on Jan. 6, the day Congress would certify the Electoral College results, as a last hope for blocking Joe Biden’s election.
Franklin, 56, was in the House chamber that day as a mob of Trump loyalists overwhelmed security forces, broke into the Capitol and prowled its interior as some called for the execution of Vice President Mike Pence, who was overseeing the election certification in a ceremonial role.