Aldi comes to St. Cloud
A brand-new Aldi grocery celebrated its grand opening at located at 3318 Canoe Creek Road in St. Cloud with a ribbon cutting last Thursday, joined by Aldi store manager Karry Johnson and the St. Cloud Chamber of Commerce.
Aldi employees welcomed guests with free goodie bags and tote bags for the first 100 people and a golden ticket for a chance to win a $500 Aldi gift card between July “We offer something different then other retail stores,” Johnson said. “Such as our prices are lower, the simplicity of our products, and a lot of organic products here.”
Tohopekaliga High teacher selected for C-SPAN fellowship
Krizia Columna, an English Language Arts teacher at Tohopekaliga High School, has been selected as one of five educators in C-SPAN’s 2025 Teacher Fellowship program. Columna will collaborate with C-SPAN’s Education Relations team to create content for C-SPAN Classroom, a free online resource for teachers, students and the public.
Through the virtual fellowship program, Columna will partner with C-SPAN to expand the network’s collection of digital educational resources. C-SPAN Classroom provides middle and high school teachers with video-based content. Teacher Fellows were selected by a team of C-SPAN representatives and their applications were evaluated based on their innovative use of C-SPAN programming in their curricula, commitment to professional development and creative use of technology and social platforms. Each educator receives $1,000 for participating in the program.
Here’s how to save on Toho Water bill — replace your toilets
Toho Water Authority has announced it’s offering a Toilet Rebate Program that provides a $100 water bill credit per toilet when eligible customers replace older toilets with high-efficiency models. The program is open to homes built before 1996 and runs through early 2026.
Residential customers can replaces two toilets (must be 1.28 gallons per flush or less) as part of the program; commercial customers can replace 100. Participants must request a confirmation number to ensure reservation of funds. The rebates will appear as a credit on the water bill.
Full details and eligibility requirements are available at tohowater.com/toiletrebate.
St. Cloud 911 call center renews accreditations
St. Cloud Police Department’s 911 Communications Center recently renewed its accreditations as an Emergency Medical, Fire and Police Dispatch Center of Excellence through the Board of Accreditation of the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch (IAED), the city announced.
An Accredited Center of Excellence (ACE) is the highest distinction in 911 emergency communication services, and becomes just the 2th tripleaccredited center worldwide.
In 2024, St. Cloud’s 911 Communications staff worked more than 71,000 calls for service for the St. Cloud Police Department and the St. Cloud Fire Rescue Department, the city said.
Residents can connect by calling or texting 911. The St. Cloud Police Department’s non-emergency line (407-8916700) is available for less urgent matters.
“We are always dedicated to providing the highest quality of public safety service to St. Cloud residents. It is an incredible testament to our amazing 911 Communications Center employees who have worked hard to achieve and maintain this high standard,” said St. Cloud Police Chief Douglas Goerke.
Office hours for elected officials
State Sen. Kristen Arrington’s district staff will be available at various locations to assist with state agency issues, gather community feedback, and share information about services offered through the Senator’s office. These district hours in August will be hosted in collaboration with U.S. Rep. Darren Soto and State Rep. Rita Harris.
Those dates will be: Monday, Aug. 11, 12-2 p.m., Poinciana Library, 101 N. Doverplum Ave.; and Thursday, Aug. 21. 2-4:30 p.m., South Creek Library, 1702 Deerfield Blvd., Orlando.
Constituents are encouraged to schedule an appointment in advance by visiting https://bit. ly/RemoteOfficeHours, but walk-ins are welcome during office hours, Arrington said.
St. Cloud announces improved bond ratings
The City of St. Cloud’s improved increased, allowing for better borrowing rates to make upcoming capital projects more fiscally efficient.
Moody’s increased the city’s rating to Aa2. S&P’s rating increased to AA, equivalent as the Moody’s rating.
“Our bond ratings were very good before, and these new ratings are even better,” City Manager Veronica Miller said. “Raters assess things such as our Strategic Plan, our employee turnover rate, and other similar metrics, in awarding our bond ratings.”
City officials said the better ratings will lead to cost savings. “The better our bond rating, the lower our interest rates on new debt,” Finance Director Jeff Cooper said. “It’s similar to consumers with higher credit scores getting more favorable interest rates on loans.”
This comes into play right away: St. Cloud has issued $78 million in bonds this year to fund projects like Phase 1 of a new Public Safety Complex on Canoe Creek Road to will house the new 9-1-1 communications center and Emergency Operations Center, Hopkins Park improvements, fire stations in Tohoqua and Center Lake Ranch, ballfield improvements already under construction and the purchase of Progress Lane property to eventually house Fire Administration, Public Works and other operations.
