The art of fourth and fifth grade students at Bartow’s Floral Avenue Elementary is on display at the Polk County Historical Museum until August 31. 

The theme of their art posters is livable communities. The livable communities concept involves liveable downtown areas with streets designed for pedestrians as much as automobiles. Livable communities include a development pattern that allows residents to meet everyday needs by walking.

The students’ art pieces show many landmarks of downtown Bartow with downtown patrons walking through its streets.  The Floral Avenue Elementary  livable communities art project was coordinated by Floral Avenue fourth grade teacher Virginia L. Smith.

(AP) - Florida's orange crop is expected to be slightly higher than last season's crop.

Federal agriculture officials said Tuesday that Florida will produce 139 million boxes of oranges during the 2010-2011 growing season.

The final forecast for the season is down by 1 million boxes from the estimate in June. But it is still bigger than last year's bounty.

The orange crop estimate consists of 70 million early and midseason varieties and 69 million Valencias.

The grapefruit estimate remains 19.9 million boxes, down 400,000 boxes from last season.

The tangelo estimate is 1.1 million boxes, and the tangerine forecast is 4.6 million boxes.

Polk County, FL -- It appears that the summer rainy season has arrived. Effective today, Polk County’s burn ban is repealed.

According to the Division of Forestry’s July 7 report, Polk County is currently averaging 309 on the Keetch Byram Drought Index. Only 4 percent of the county is still dry, with a KBDI above 500.

The repeal includes all of the unincorporated areas of Polk County as well as the municipalities who chose to participate in the mandatory ban that took effect on June 8. Those municipalities include: Auburndale, Bartow, Eagle Lake, Fort Meade, Frostproof, Lake Alfred, Mulberry, Polk City and Winter Haven.