Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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Motorists passing through Babson Park are warned to exercise caution as work crews will be conducting a major reconstruction of Scenic Highway through the heart of the village. The Florida Department of Transportation has begun a Full Depth Reclamation (FDR) Project on SR 17 (Scenic Highway). The project zone includes about one mile from 5th Street to North Crooked Lake Drive. That zone include the Polk Fire and EMS station as well as Webber International University. In...
Bringing a plane to Bartow for an inspection was supposed to be a routine flight from Fort Myers for Robert Mosier, 45, of Winter Haven. When the plane in question began to lose power near Homeland with no airport in sight, Mosier proved his worth as a pilot. At about 11:05 Thursday morning Mosier guided the small replica war plane to a safe landing on the northbound lanes of US 17 near Homeland Garfield Road in Bartow. Mosier is a commercial pilot but also works part-time...
Motorists traveling on city streets around Lake Wales will find the going much smoother as work progresses on an aggressive program of improvements being conducted under city contracts. Portions of 12 roadways are presently being resurfaced with either a cape seal or a double-micro slurry of liquid asphalt as part of the city's Pavement Management Program. Both processes are preservation treatments to extend the life of the roadways for several years, creating a smoother...
A tour of Lake Wales by an influential group of specialty builders may lead to interest in new "traditional neighborhood" housing in the area, according to organizers of the event. Several dozen members of the National Town Builders Association arrived by motorcoach to visit the area, with stops at Bok Tower Gardens, Lake Wailes Park, and a walking tour through the downtown area. The group was led by Victor Dover, principal of the planning firm of Dover, Kohl & Partners,...
The Polk County Sheriff's Traffic Homicide Unit is investigating a fatal crash that took place early Saturday directly in front of the Babson Park station of the county's fire rescue department. Paramedics from the station responded immediately after the impact but were unable to save the life of the Fort Myers man who was driving a 2018 Harley Davidson motorcycle. Kenneth Ellefson, 53, was reportedly not wearing a helmet when his motorcycle collided head-on with a 1999 Mazda...
Two people who broke into a home on on Fast Trot Trail, allegedly to "escape" during Hurricane Milton, were arrested and charged with burglary and criminal mischief in additional to other charges. The Polk County Sheriff's Office arrested the two suspects on Thursday, October 10, for burglarizing the vacant home in the aftermath of the storm. Deputies responded to a 9:40 a.m., call about a residential burglary in progress and found the rear door pried open. The two suspects we...
The Florida Division of Emergency Management has announced the opening of Operation Blue Roof, which will provide and install a tarp on roofs damaged during the passage of Hurricane Milton. Operation Blue Roof is a program offered by FEMA through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to eligible homeowners and landlords. It provides a temporary covering of blue plastic sheeting to help reduce further damage to property until permanent repairs can be made. The blue plastic sheeting...
A two-vehicle crash on SR 60 East took the life of a Lake Wales man early Tuesday evening. Duane Matthew Kolaski, 74, of Lake Wales was driving a black 2017 BMW X7 SUV eastbound near Story Road when, for unknown reasons, his vehicle "drifted" across the median, according to Polk County Sheriff's office investigators. Kolaski's vehicle then entered the westbound lanes into the path of a black 2021 Dodge 3500 pickup truck. The truck was driven by 45-year old Maksim Zakharov of...
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...
County residents have a final chance to recycle their scrap aluminum and steel beverage and food containers this week before the service ends and fees rise sharply under a new county waste-hauling contract. Those receiving services through city contracts are unaffected by the change. Despite the reduction in services, the new collection and disposal fee for county residents rose almost $120 this year, with more increases baked in. Last year's assessment of $144.50 became...
Careless and inattentive driving resulted in a complex crash that left ten injured Sunday evening in Lake Wales. The four-vehicle pile-up happened in two different crashes after a vehicle crossed the center line of Alturas-Babson Park Cutoff (ABC) Road, south of Lake Wales and approximately one mile west of US 27. The crash began when a 2010 Dodge Ram reportedly crossed the centerline of the two-lane road and struck a 2019 Ford F-150 pickup and a 2013 Ford Explorer at about...
Citrus Connection, in partnership with the Polk TPO, is conducting a public survey to better define the transportation needs of the community. The survey is requesting comments from everyone, including daily commuters, occasional riders, or those who have never used public transportation. The goal of the survey is to help improve public transportation services to better meet the needs of our communities. Citrus Connection provides the local circulator bus service in Lake...
Thousands of copies of a political tract containing what many would consider virulent anti-American propaganda have been delivered to the offices of the Lake Wales Charter Schools to potentially be distributed to students. Some 45,000 of the "patriotic" pamphlets were printed, intended for delivery to schools, according to information shared on a Facebook post by the City of Lake Wales. Among the materials they contain is an "essay" that paints a highly-dystopian picture of...
The "ReStore" operated by Habitat for Humanity in Dundee is going to be a bit busier. Habitat for Humanity of East Polk County is consolidating a second store they have operated at 3550 Recker Highway in Winter Haven into the single Dundee location. The move will combine their inventory and resources into the existing store at 27985 US 27, which will allow the group to extend the store's hours of operation beginning October 1st. The new operating schedule will be Monday...
Several area construction projects continue to affect traffic circulation in southern and eastern Polk County. A four-block stretch of State Road 17 (Scenic Highway) remains closed in Lake Wales at Hillcrest Avenue, forcing traffic from the state road onto the city's 4th Street in front of McLaughlin Middle-High School adding to school-hour traffic and congestion there. The project, begun in June, was announced as a 30-day effort to correct drainage Issues adjacent to Lake...
A new high-tech three-dimensional laser scanner is promising to speed traffic investigations being conducted by the Lake Wales Police Department, assuring quicker re-openings of intersections and crash sites after incidents. The new $63,969.42 laser scanner will be used to help investigate major crime scenes and traffic crashes resulting in serious bodily injury or death, enabling one officer to map out millions of geographic measurement points in under an hour, rather than...
A bit of color and history will soon be added to the skyline of Lake Wales as new graphic murals designed to reflect the city's heritage gradually replace block lettering on all four city water towers. City Utility Operations Manager Holly Britt, who is overseeing the project, says improving the water towers will better "show the character of our city." The water tower adjacent to the Eagle Ridge Mall has already been painted with artwork recognizing the Lake Wales High...
Teachers and other school-based professionals that work directly with students at a Lake Wales Charter School or Polk County Public School in Lake Wales are eligible to receive one of ten $250 grants that will be awarded by the Lake Wales Junior Woman's Club. Grants for Great Ideas is a competitive grant, and applications have been sent to all eligible school principals and assistant principals for the first grant cycle of this school year. A volunteer committee of key communi...
A list of more than 100 residents and businesses are eligible to claim funds now held by Polk County, according to Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller Stacy M. Butterfield, Each of the checks listed is worth $100 or more. The list of individuals with unclaimed checks issued during court-related activities is published annually. Funds must be claimed by September 1 or be forfeited to the county. "We hope to inform people so we can return these funds to their rightful...
Highway 60 was blocked west of Lake Wales for about five hours Friday night after a vehicle crossed the median and was struck by an oncoming truck. A Lake Placid woman lost her life in the tragedy. According to investigators from the Polk County Sheriff's office, at about 8:19 p.m., 32-year old Nakeyma Williams of Lake Placid was driving a 2011 Toyota Camry westbound when she apparently lost control of her vehicle, which slid into the eastbound lanes where it was struck...
A major and much-needed street resurfacing project is underway in Indian Lake Estates. The project will address nearly two miles of streets in the area. The paving project will involve milling. Remixing and relaying the top surfaces of many of the streets. Included in the project are a portion of Ponce de Leon Avenue, and the circle providing access to Lake Wales-in-the-Water and the community pier. Other streets that will receive new surfaces include portions of Toronja...
A 40-year-old Lake Wales man is dead after a kayaking trip on a local lake. A death investigation is underway following the recovery of the body of an adult male from Lake Annie, a 407-acre lake in the Waverly area of Lake Wales early this morning. Shane Park of Magnolia Street in Lake Wales had set out on the lake about 3:30 p.m. Sunday in a kayak. Weather at the time was fine, but thunderstorms began moving into the area a short time later. When he failed to return to shore...
The closure of SR 17 (Scenic Highway) at Hillcrest Avenue, originally announced as a 30-day project, is expected to continue well after the beginning of the school year, forcing additional traffic onto South 4th Street past McLaughlin Middle-High School. Crews closed Scenic Highway from Grove Avenue to Hillcrest Avenue in June to begin installing new drainage structures. Sidewalks in the area are also detoured. According to the Florida Department of Transportation, the...
Twelve "Safe Zones" under the monitoring of the Polk County Sheriff's Office are now available to all Polk County residents for the purposes of custody exchanges of e-commerce sales, according to officials with the sheriff's office. The locations offer 24/7 continuously-monitored video surveillance with recordings retained for at least 45 days. They also provide adequate lighting and signage for safety. The Florida Legislature recently passed a law which requires count...
One person was killed and two injured in three-vehicle crash that left two lanes of southbound US 27 closed for approximately four hours. Northbound lanes were closed for approximately 4.5 hours. The crash took place on US 27 near Morrison Ranch Road, south of Haines City, Wednesday afternoon, at about 3:45 p.m. First responders found 64-year old Katrina Moore of Haines City deceased. Moore had not been wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from her vehicle. According to a...
