Week of October 9, 2024
Week of October 9, 2024
In a colorful and welcome respite from hurricane clean-up, area residents will have an opportunity to enjoy shopping for new flowering plants and garden items from among thousands on display at the annual Plant and Garden Festival this weekend. The free two-day event, October 19 and 20, is hosted by the GFWC Woman's Club of Lake Wales and will feature vendors and nurseries from across Florida who will offer their growing things. Decorative annuals, perennials, shrubs and...
Nature is trying to make up and be nice after a few harrowing weeks of extreme events across central Florida. Autumn is arriving at last, much to the delight of Ridge-area residents fatigued from rounds of hurricane preparation, clean-up, and power outages. Forecasts for the coming week include the first solid wave of cool weather, building upon the welcome break in the heat that followed the passage of Hurricane Milton. Early-morning temperatures are expected to dip into the...
In a heart-wrenching incident, a 10-year-old passenger was crushed to death by a 2,700-pound off-road vehicle after it rolled over during a turn on Thursday. The incident happened shortly after the passage of Hurricane Milton. The vehicle, a 2022 Polaris Ranger, was being driven by a 15-year-old. A group of other children were also aboard as passengers. All were ejected when the vehicle flipped. No driver's license is required to drive an off-road vehicle. They also lack many...
Friday dawned as another day without power for thousands of residents of southeast Polk after the area after Hurricane Milton raked the area with 100 mile-per-hour winds and heavy rainfall before dawn Thursday. Shattered or uprooted trees, some punching holes in roofs, along with damage to signs, sheds, utilities and fences were visible across the area. Flooded roads and intersections delayed responses to the disaster, a common scene as hurricanes increase in both frequency...
The latest update from the National Hurricane Center in Miami has raised the stakes for a direct strike upon southeast Polk County and the Lake Wales area. Residents are strongly urged to rush preparations to completion. The 11 a.m. NHC report said that with sustained winds of 155 MPH, Hurricane Milton is continuing to approach Florida. Continued intensification is expected, and Milton should be at Category 5 this afternoon with sustained winds of 160 MPH or more, accompanied...
The latest computer model runs have placed Polk County directly in the crosshairs of a potential major hurricane. Residents may wish to begin preparation for a storm. The Nat According to the 11 a.m. statement from the National Hurricane Center in Miami, the area of disturbed weather in the western Gulf of Mexico is now a tropical depression, and will begin intensifying as it moves slowly northeastward over the next 24 to 36 hours before accelerating toward Florida. Arrival...
A slight south-eastward movement of Tropical Storm Milton could offer a small ray of hope for southeastern Polk County as the storm approaches the west coast of Florida later this week. The worst impacts of the storm are expected locally on Wednesday. The 11 a.m. statement from the National Hurricane Center in Miami noted that the center of the intensifying cyclone has been moving slowly to the east-southeast, a trend that has moved the needle on the multiple computer models...
As predicted here last week, a new tropical cyclone is becoming organized in the Gulf of Mexico and is expected to bring heavy rains to Florida and the Lake Wales Ridge this week. The storm is generally developing in line with the super-computer models closely followed by Lake Wales News. Those same models are now predicting the improving organization of the potential cyclone this weekend as it moves eastward toward the Florida peninsula from the western Gulf. The National...
As the nation takes account of the staggering loss of life and damage caused by Hurricane Helene, hurricane forecasters and Florida emergency managers are already casting a wary eye toward the Caribbean, where the active Central American Gyre (CAG) is in the process of generating another potential mega-storm. Florida's west coast took the worst of Helene, leaving the interior largely free of damage. Severe storm-surge that caused millions in damages to beach towns, while Polk...
Polk County and the Ridge will escape the worst effects of Hurricane Helene, but area residents should still be prepared for a blow, according to specific forecasts. Heavy rains and winds gusting to near hurricane force are also possible as the storm passes to the west. Helene, currently entering the southeastern Gulf of Mexico, is expected to charge north and northeastward as it rapidly intensifies to become a major hurricane, reaching Category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson scale,...
Lake Hatchineha Road was closed for approximately five hours early Wednesday after a fatal crash on Lake Hatchineha Road. Polk County Fire Rescue and sheriff's deputies were dispatched to the crash at 12:26 a.m. The preliminary investigation by the PCSO's Traffic Homicide investigators determined that Douglas Fairel, Jr. of Haines City was driving a 2021 Cadillac Escalade westbound on Lake Hatchineha Road when his vehicle crossed over the center line and collided head-on with...
Polk County Utility customers will see an increase in their cost of water and sewer bills starting today. Water and wastewater rates have been increased by 6% beginning Oct. 1. According to county spokesperson Jeff Foley, "the surcharge assessed on water usage and reclaimed water usage also will increase, as will connection fees. The increases are necessary to allow the county to meet its current and future water demands." The increase is the first that Polk County Utilities...
With beautiful autumn weather ahead, it's an ideal time to check out the Peach and Pepper in downtown Lake Wales. The new casual-dining restaurant on East Stuart Avenue offers a creative fusion menu in a bright and airy garden. The outdoor dining is the perfect place to enjoy the truly-creative "tropical-Italian fusion" flavors on the menu, which includes delights such as a "breakfast banana split" with cottage cheese and fresh fruit, and toasted brie, served with...
The Lake Wales market area will be losing yet another grocery option in November as the Winn-Dixie store on SR 60 East is closed to be converted to a second Aldi location. The move comes less than a year after the store was completely remodeled and updated with new products. The Lake Wales location is the latest to be converted to Aldi, and employees have been notified that they will be laid off effective November 17. Some of them had only recently been transferred to the...
The stunning photography of renowned artist Clyde Butcher will be featured in an exhibit running through December 6 at The Museum of Florida Art and Culture (MOFAC) at South Florida State College (SFSC) in Avon Park. Butcher uses a large-format camera to create high-resolution black and white images that portray the subject in exquisite detail. Frequently called Florida's Ansel Adams, Butcher, 82, resides on 14 acres of land he purchased in the heart of the Big Cypress...
