If you think I’ve been too mean today, (It’s never wise to turn me loose with a computer and day off) come on over to Metro I4 and read as I sing the praises of one America’s rock bands – The Hold Steady – and their Thursday night concert in Tampa.
Bio: Billy Townsend was a longtime government, political and general assignment reporter in Polk County and the wider I-4 corridor. He wrote extensively about Polk's unique regional identity and the issues shaping it, including USF Polytechnic, the Heartland Parkway and the CSX rail deal.
Billy recently left professional reporting to take a corporate writing job, but he keeps close tabs on news of all stripes (especially political news) and the changes in modern journalism. Billy's wife is Julie Townsend, executive director of the Downtown Lakeland Partnership.They live with their three children in the Lake Morton area.
His work at Lakeland Local is his first as an amateur hyperlocal writer.