Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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A foggy morning is likely to have contributed to the third traffic fatality in a single week in the Lake Wales area after a crash at SR 60 and Boy Scout Road east of the city. Traffic was blocked in four directions following the early Thursday smash-up. According to Polk County Sheriff's Office Traffic Homicide Unit investigators, a Toyota Tacoma pickup truck driven by a 61-year-old Lake Wales resident was travelling southbound on Boy Scout Camp Road. At the intersection if...
A Lake Wales teacher is facing three felony charges after a violent assault at a local home. Polk County Sheriff's deputies arrested 51-year-old Thomas Griffin, a middle school teacher at McLaughlin Middle-High School in Lake Wales, charging him with burglary with assault, false imprisonment, and battery by strangulation. According to witnesses, on December 14 Griffin arrived at the residence of a woman with whom he had a prior romantic involvement and began banging on the...
Two men were killed Monday after entering SR 60 into the path of a Freightliner tractor-trailer rig at the intersection of West Lake Road just west of the Lake Wales city limits. First responders responded to the crash scene at around 9:38 pm, where they found two men deceased in a white 2002 Chevy 2500 work van operated by Florida Degreasers, a restaurant service company. The preliminary investigation, based on evidence and witness statements, indicated that the Chevy van...
The annual Orange Blossom Revue brought praise from hundreds of attendees from across the nation, many of whom spent the weekend in area hotels or camped in temporary campsites adjacent to festival grounds on the shores of Lake Wailes. The annual charity fundraiser features popular touring bands, many of which draw their own fans to the two day event. This year's show was the 11th in the series, and the event has grown during that time from its origins as a Rotary barbeque...
Flames rapidly engulfed a camper parked on a lot in the Lake Garfield area east of Bartow Monday afternoon, claiming the life of a 53-year-old man, despite the heroic efforts of neighbors who pulled the victim from the flaming trailer. Polk County Fire Rescue responded to the 3:43 p.m. call of a fire on Pipes Road, reportedly arriving at the scene only two minutes later and finding the camper engulfed in flames. They provided immediate first aid to the victim who was lying...
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 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...
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...
