Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
Sorted by date Results 101 - 125 of 152
A proposal to add a huge swath of northern Lake Wales to the current Community Redevelopment District map will be the topic of a staffed public presentation at the Eagle Ridge Mall food court this Wednesday. The public is invited to stop by between 11:00 am and 7:00 pm to learn about the effects that would flow from the expansion and offer their opinions. A large tract west of US 27 between Thompson Nursery Road, Chalet Suzanne Road and Mountain Lake Cutoff Road being...
The second phase of the city's annual street resurfacing project will begin in coming days as seven new streets are addressed by contractors. Portions of eleven streets are included in the overall resurfacing effort, which is being performed by Asphalt Paving Systems of Zephyrhills at a total cost of $593,144.32. Four streets were addressed earlier this fiscal year. "Our multi-year pavement management program, created in 2019, is fully funded for the first time," said City...
In a long-delayed ruling, the State Attorney's office has announced that their investigation into a exchange of gunfire between police and a suspect last August determined that police use of deadly force was justified. Earnest Borders, 57, of Lake Wales, was killed. A police department K-9, Max, also died in the gunfire. A letter signed by Assistant State Attorney Mark Thomas Levine states that "it is my opinion that Officer Jared Joyner and Officer Esaul Hernandez were justif...
Polk County Emergency Management has release the "Polk County Public Shelters" maps for 2023, revealing that there remains only a single shelter to serve the nearly 100,000 residents of Southeast Polk County. Spook Hill Elementary, at 321 Dr. J. A. Wiltshire Ave East in Lake Wales, is the only shelter in a broad area that Includes Dundee, Frostproof, Babson Park, Nalcrest, and other area communities. The 2023 map includes 47 shelters, including three "Special Needs Shelters"...
An apparent medical incident that left a driver partially incapacitated ended with a fatal rear-end crash on US 27 at Washington Avenue. The Medical Examiners investigation revealed Mr. Wulff died from a medical episode unrelated to the crash. This was not a traffic homicide as no other persons, to include Mr. Wulff, died as a result of the crash. According to police reports, at approximately 1:18 p.m Monday a 2008 white Chevy panel van driven by Thomas Wulff, 75, of Lake...
Two Haines City men are dead and a third hospitalized following an early morning crash on US Highway 27. Lake Wales Traffic Homicide Investigators determined that a car driven by Aljerume Brooks, age 40 from Haines City failed to stop for the red traffic light while traveling North on Highway 27. Also in the vehicle was Gary Faniel Jr, age 24 and Javarcea Morton, age 23, both of Haines City. Both Faniel and Morton were pronounced dead at the scene. Brooks was transported to...
The Lake Wales High School Softball team is angling to bring back a second state championship in a single scholastic year after defeating Lemon Bay (Englewood) 5-0 in a semifinal game played in Clermont. The game was scheduled to start at 11:00 am, but was moved an hour earlier to avoid anticipated heavy rains in the afternoon. The Highlanders will face the winner of the other semifinal game between Key West and Wakulla. The Highlanders are the top seed in the tournament. The...
Police are seeking the whereabouts of a Haines City man who reportedly drove at high speed and ran a red light on US 27, resulting in the deaths of his two passengers. Lake Wales Police have obtained an arrest warrant for 40-year-old Aljerune Brooks of Haines City. An investigation confirmed Brooks was the driver of the Cadillac that failed to stop at the signal at Washington Avenue, crashing into a "yard dog" truck cab owned by Florida's Natural. The driver of the truck,...
An early-morning fire that left Lake Wales firefighters battling the blaze until dawn left a gaping hole in a local apartment building, and in the lives of 23 residents of the building. At least eight units appear to have been heavily affected by flames, smoke, and water. The hours of flames burned away much of the roof of the building, leaving melted siding and charred timbers The American Red Cross is currently providing assistance to nine families, a spokesperson for the...
Polk County is again reducing yard trash collection, with new guidelines that limit pickup to branches that do not exceed two inches in diameter. In addition to the diameter limits, items may be no longer than three feet, and must be containerized in bins, bundles, or bags, with a maximum combination of four containers, each weighing 30 pounds or less. Yard waste items should be placed curbside by 6:00 am on resident's designated collection day. "Items not in compliance will...
May 13- An argument and poor judgement led to the death of an Orlando woman Saturday night, only some three hours after the traffic death of a Lake Wales man nearby. According to Lake Wales Traffic Homicide Investigators, Lataysha Rene Kelly, 27, of Orlando had been driving west on Chalet Suzanne Road just west of Dinner Lake Shores in Lake Wales, at approximately 10:55 pm, accompanied by Donald Dixon 34, also of Orlando. Police reported that the two were having an argument...
A Lake Wales man died in a head-on crash on US 27 just before sunset Saturday evening after driving his motorcycle northward in the southbound lanes of the six-lane highway. The 7:58 pm crash took the life of 60-year-ol Gary Restifo of Lake Wales. There was no explanation of why he was driving on the wrong lanes of the busy highway. The Polk County Sheriff's office is investigating the incident. Restifo was passing north of Dundee Road (CR 542) when he was struck by a...
It's not too late to gather your posse of friends to participate in a great event this Saturday to help persons with limited abilities, and have a good time doing it! The first-ever Paddle On! Lake Wailes will be held on May 6 and will offer participants several ways to help raise funds that will benefit the StirringWaters program. "We hope so many paddlers participate that they create a kaleidoscope of color on the lake. Paddle On! Lake Wailes will unite people in an...
Babson Park Elementary student Grace Sullins now has the special honor of having her license tag design mounted on the front of Polk County Tax Collector Joe Tedder's truck. Sullins is this year's special Tax Collector's Choice Award recipient. Sullins won the special recognition in The Kids Tag Art (KTA) program, created by Tedder in Polk County. The Kids Tag Art (KTA) program now spans 15 counties across Florida, inspiring fifth grade student artists to create their own...
May 3, 2023- Quadruple murder suspect Al Joseph Stenson has been killed in a shootout with police after fleeing to a motel in Sanford, Florida, Lake Wales Police have reported. Police believe that Stenson may have murdered a mother and her three children early yesterday morning. Stenson was the only suspect in a horrific quadruple-murder that took place in Lake Wales Tuesday. Police confirmed that he was known to the victims, and was likely injured during the predawn event....
APRIL 26 - A caution from the National Weather Service warns of the likelihood of severe weather today that is expected to include "large to very large hail," along with the potential for very strong downburst winds from thunderstorms. All areas of eastern Polk County are included in the alert. The strong storms will be generated by very cold air aloft and a dip in the jet stream creating a "vort max," or a vortex-type bend in the jet that causes rapid ascension of heated air...
APRIL 27 - A powerful thunderstorm that descended on the Lake Wales area Wednesday night left many residents cleaning up fallen limbs and damp walls and floors. LakeWalesNews.net had shared a warning of the potential for a hailstorm only 12 hours before it struck. The storm, which grew to severe proportions over the Green Swamp are of northern Polk County, dropped south down the Lake Wales Ridge, striking Haines City and Dundee before passing over Lake Wales with one-inch...
A chance to relax in the shade, enjoy food from your favorite food truck, listen to four different bands, and let the kids burn off steam as they learn and play is expected to draw crowds to Lake Wailes Park Saturday. The 10:00 am to 8:00 pm event will include a kite festival, a family-feud style trivia game, nature walks, a giant inflatable obstacle course, nature walks, a "fishing pond," and a wide variety of games and prizes for adults and kids. A silent auction and gift...
Lake Wailes Park will again host a day of family fun on Saturday, April 29 as the city celebrates the annual Olmsted Day in the Park. This years' event promises to be bigger and better than ever as plenty of new features and attractions are being added. Food trucks, lots of games for both kids and adults, live bands, and the added feature of "Beers With Pioneers," a beer-tasting event, will make the day fun for every member of the family. For kids, an inflatable obstacle...
As lawns wither and trees wilt across the central Florida, weather forecasters are eyeing long-range models showing a significant chance that a rare April tropical or sub-tropical storm could form in the Gulf of Mexico in coming days. According to the Southeast Regional Climate Center (SERCC), drought conditions over most of the Florida peninsula range from severe to extreme, and most areas are recording the driest start to any year in over a century. So far at the...
A "town hall" community organizing event is planned to take place Monday at the Mary Norma Campbell Resource Center in Highland Park Manor. The 7:00 pm event is the second meeting of the community located southeast of Lake Wales. Concern over the lack of transparency by the city of Lake Wales over rezoning of an industrial site to accommodate proposed plastic pipe factory appears to be one of the catalysts for the revival of the neighborhood association. Both Highland Park...
A very dry winter in the Lake Wales area that has extended into the spring has led to critically dry conditions and a very high fire risk. Extreme caution is being urged by authorities when handling any sort of open flame or heat source. A recent fire at the River Ranch hunting tract burned over 1,000 acres and destroyed scores of temporary structures. No one was hurt in the fires, but valuable fire-fighting resources were strained in combatting the blaze. Meager rains in...
A surge in readership and community reach is being celebrated as a reflection of the growing awareness and trust of LakeWalesNews.net among residents of the Ridge area. The expansion of readership and advertising is powering an expansion of news coverage as well as the News increases coverage of events in Frostproof, Babson Park, Indian Lake, and surrounding communities through the hiring of new staff and correspondents. In addition to a substantial base of readers who...
Travelers on US 27 should be aware that there will be new traffic shifts on US 27 northbound at the construction site at SR 60. Motorists should expect an outside lane closure on northbound US 27 near the intersection, while crews place drainage and pour concrete in the area. On Sunday, April 2, traffic will be shifted onto the new concrete pavement to allow construction of the permanent northbound lanes. Motorists should use caution in the area and watch for workers in the co...
A major effort to develop a master plan to govern the future development of seven parks in the city of Lake Wales is the goal of a new contract Catalyst Design Group. The project was recently approved by the city commission. The planning effort will cover Lake Wailes Park, Kiwanis Park and Crystal Lake Park, which form the core of the city's park system. It will also include the city's soccer complex on Hunt Brothers Road, the Northwest Complex/Frasier Field park, the Little...
