Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
Sorted by date Results 326 - 333 of 333
More than 900 communities have lost their local newspapers in recent years. The print version of the Lake Wales News was nearly 100 years old when its owners decided it no longer was viable. Market conditions, printing costs and lack of advertisers contributed to its demise. Enter LakeWalesNews.net. Nearly two dozen area residents have come together and volunteered to create a free, online news site. The goal is to serve as a watchdog of the public interest and a promoter of community spirit. Local businesses already have...
Candidates for Lake Wales mayor and city commission shared common beliefs about the need for more citizen involvement and transparency in city government at a forum Thursday, March 14 sponsored by the Lake Wales Chapter of the American Association of University Women. Only about 25 people came out to the James P. Austin Community Center to listen and ask questions. Incumbent Mayor Eugene Fultz did not attend, but sent some prepared comments. He is on the Board of the Ridge...
Dr. Tameka Bradley Hobbs set the tone with famed jazz singer Billie Holiday's haunting 1939 classic "Strange Fruit," a musical tale of lynchings, burning flesh and dripping blood. Her Black History lecture Thursday, Feb. 21 at the Lake Wales Museum continued with fascinating but disturbing stories, statistics and photos of far too many black men and women hung from trees in the South. While many Black History lectures celebrate the accomplishments of African Americans, Hobbs...
It still surprises Jennifer D'Hollander when people drop by the Lake Wales Museum for the first time and say they didn't realize it was there. The restored railroad Depot has been offering visitors a glimpse into Central Florida's past for more than 40 years. Museum Director D'Hollander and her staff are working diligently to promote the facility, its exhibits and programs. Their hard work paid off in 2018, when they hosted 6,577 visitors, a 37 percent increase over 2017....
Polk County School District officials unveiled a plan this week to offer high school students a Lake Wales option by adding grades 9-12 to the current McLaughlin Middle School. McLaughlin would increase its fine arts programs and add a high-tech academy if the proposal is approved by the School Board. Board Chairman Lynn Wilson expressed his immediate and strong opposition to the idea, but the other six Board members seemed at least open to the possibility. School Board...
For the past 13 years she served as the voice on the phone and the smile at the counter of the Lake Wales Area Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Commission. Many Chamber members and most of the people who served as president/chairman during her tenure showed up Feb. 26 to wish Charlotte Kosek a happy retirement. Past CEOs Betty Wojcik and Jim Bell came to recognize her service. Current President/CEO Kevin Kieft said she really would be missed. "There's always the...
It was perfect Florida weather as 80 artists exhibited their work on the shores of Lake Wailes Saturday, Feb. 23. The show continues from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 24. It was Angela Pulido Wadsworth's first show. A hard-charging personal injury attorney for 21 years, she began painting after a battle with breast cancer sidelined her from her work as a trial attorney. She created De Novo Art named for the Latin term that means to start from the beginning. The effects of he...
Lake Wales will have at least one new city commissioner in May. Al Goldstein of Lake Ashton became the only candidate for Seat 4 when incumbent Tonya Stewart failed to qualify for re-election. "Wow. I am elated and surprised to have this new journey over and so soon. I am looking forward with enthusiasm and vigor to work for all citizens of Lake Wales and to keep this City moving forward successfully," Goldstein said. The City election is set for April 2, and there will be...
