Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
Sorted by date Results 151 - 164 of 164
The Federal Railroad Administration Friday gave SunRail and Brightline, Central Florida's dual passenger train ambitions, an extension of the looming deadline to apply for funding to expand from Orlando's airport to the region's tourism hub and across Polk County to Tampa. Sun Rail currently serves 16 locations between Poinciana and DeBary. The Florida Department of Transportation is responsible for coordinating local governments and the private Brightline Trains, which are...
A pair of public hearings are planned to allow area residents to learn more and speak about the proposed Polk Regional Water Cooperative (PRWC). The hearings will address a planned Southeast Wellfield & Water Supply Facility project proposed near Lake Wales. The project would draw water from the "sub-Floridan" aquifer to supply cities across Polk County using a new network of huge pipelines. The project has anticipated costs that could approach or exceed a billion dollars...
A Lake Wales man is dead after speeding into a slower vehicle on US 27 early Saturday morning. Officers from the Lake Wales Police Department responded to calls reporting a vehicle crash on U.S. Highway 27 at 1:13 A.M. Arriving officers at the scene, near Weikert Ford, found 38-year-old Eliecer Padilla of Lake Wales lying deceased in the north bound lanes. A passenger in his 2015 Chevrolet Camaro, 40-year-old Jeanette Gonzalez of Lake Wales, was also ejected from the car and...
The Lake Wales Mardi Gras celebrations have reached their climactic day as crowds are preparing for the annual parade, continuing a local tradition now in its fifth decade. The big parade of Krewes, always a major highlight of the event, will step off at 3:00 today on Park Avenue before winding down Stuart and Central Avenues, ending at Lake Wailes Park, where the ongoing Mardi Gras Music Festival will continue into the night. More than a dozen colorful Krewes will parade...
Four candidates have qualified in two city commission races which will be decided during an election on April 4. Lake Wales commissioners finalized the ballot, which will include one open seat, at a special meeting on Friday afternoon. Deputy Mayor Robin Gibson will face a challenge from political newcomer Danielle Pride Gibson in the Seat 5 race, while Michelle Threatt and Keith Thompson will face off over Seat 3, which is being vacated by long-time commissioner Terrye...
It's that zany time of year for thousands of celebrants who will participate in the annual Lake Wales Mardi Gras, with festivities running from February 11 through 21. Between two book-end events, the heart of the traditional event will fill two days with music concerts and a colorful parade on the weekend of February 18. The long-standing tradition of Mardi Gras in Lake Wales typically attracts thousands of visitors, filling streets, restaurants, and other area establishments...
A night of colorful costumes and celebrations has officially initiated the 2023 Carnival season in Lake Wales. The Krewe of Wild Shiners hosted their traditional "Black Light Ball" Saturday night, the first of several events spread over the 10-day Lake Wales Mardi Gras. The popular festivities will continue this week, with 10 bands scheduled to appear at the Mardi Gras Music Festival in Lake Wailes Park beginning Friday afternoon. The concerts continue on Saturday, with the...
Tragedy struck Friday morning as a McLaughlin Middle School student was killed after being struck by a truck while waiting near a school bus stop in the fog. Lake Wales Police Department reports indicate that Jadin Galindo, 13, was waiting for his school bus in the dark at about 6:15 am when he was struck by a 2013 GMC Sierra truck. According to police reports the alleyway where he was sitting, near the intersection of Miami Street and Dr. JA Wiltshire Avenue, near Florida's N...
U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle has sentenced James Wesley Buchanan, 47, of Lake Wales to 8 years in federal prison, to be followed by 10 years of supervised released for possession of child sexual abuse material and destruction of evidence in a federal investigation. The court also ordered Buchanan to register as a sex offender for life and pay restitution to the victims of his offense. Buchanan had pleaded guilty on October 25, 2022. According to court...
Lake Wales Police are working a traffic investigation as a result of a crash on Scenic Highway. The location of the incident is within a school zone for McLaughlin Middle-Senior High, but the zone was not believed to have been active at the time. A driver attempting to make a left turn from north-bound Scenic Highway to Winston Avenue early Wednesday afternoon was struck from behind by a Honda SUV and pushed more than 200 feet into a streetlight. The streetlight support pole...
There's still time to register for those wishing to compete in the annual Polk Senior Games, but that window is closing fast!. The games are an annual two-week series of 33 Olympic-style sports and games for men and women 50 years of age and over. The 30th Polk Senior Games begin on Saturday February 25th and end on Saturday March 11. Registration began January 1 and ends February 10. Gold, silver, and bronze medals are awarded in each event and age division. The Games...
Ongoing construction of a new roundabout will keep the intersection of Old Bartow Lake Wales Road and Rattlesnake Road (County Road 653) closed in Lake Wales through February. The project, which began in the fall, was expected to take about 60 days, but has been repeatedly delayed. Local access will be maintained to the point of closure, but no traffic will be permitted to cross the intersection. Local access is maintained to the point of closure, but traffic is not permitted...
An apparent attempt to draw customers led to the wrong kind of attention for an area man as he found himself following complaints about his loud music. According to Lake Wales Police, officers responded to the area of Seminole Ave. and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. around 10:20 pm Wednesday after a resident called complaining about loud music in the Grove Manor housing complex. Arriving officers observed a minivan occupied by a man playing loud music. As they approached...
Frustration among Polk County residents in the Lake Wales area spread this week to include the Board of County Commissioners, who have been deluged with complaints from residents about missed collections of trash. The issue is only compounded by the mountains of yard waste still remaining on area streets in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian in early October. County Commissioner Bill Braswell introduced the motion to declare an emergency after hearing complaints of up to...
