Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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Two instances of molestation of children by adult authority figures, a minister and a coach, have resulted in the arrest of two individuals by the Polk County Sheriff's Office. In an incident that took place in Frostproof, 20-year-old Skylar Ready of Fort Meade was charged with four felonies related to an illegal and inappropriate relationship with a 17-year-old student at the school, whom he allegedly threatened to kill is she had sex with anyone else. Ready had served as a...
The two-and-a-half weeks of the 40th annual Lake Wales Mardi Gras festivities are rapidly approaching their climax as hundreds of "krewe" members prepare for the combined parade on Saturday, February 10. The series of masquerade parties and musical events mark the days of the pre-Lenten "Carnival" season here. Last week's kickoff party, hosted by the Krewe Renaissance, will be followed by the Saturday, Feb. 3 Blacklight Ball sponsored by the Loyal Order of Wild Shiners....
The Florida Commission on Ethics had found "probable cause that Polk County School Board member and Lake Wales resident Lori Cunningham has created a conflict of interest for her sales of clothing to the Lake Wales Charter Schools and a Dundee school. According to the complaint, Cunningham's personally-owned company, Applied Images, has been selling school uniform shirts to at least four local schools for years, specifying "over $16,000 in sales made to charter schools since...
The biggest outburst of fun and frivolity in the region, the Lake Wales Mardi Gras is preparing to offer its 40th year of festivities to residents and visitors from far and wide. The event draws an estimated 20,000 to the two-and-half-weeks of activities. Highlighted by a zany parade and two-day music festival, the celebration also features three masquerade dance parties offering live music, and a special "Mardi Gras Pre-Party" that will celebrate the 40 years of event...
A second candidate has announced her intention to seek a seat on the Lake Wales City Commission in the Tuesday, April 2 election, which will see two candidates elected to new three-year terms. Carol Gillespie, a resident of Lake Ashton, will seek the north-side seat 4 currently held by Danny Krueger. Candidates must live within their district but are chosen in non-partisan, city-wide votes. If elected, she would be the only woman on the five-person commission. Gillespie's...
The most romantic day of the year is going to be a bit more so as multiple couples gather to "tie the knot" on the steps of the Polk County History Center, the former Polk County Courthouse, on Valentine's Day. The free ceremony is limited to 30 couples and registration is first come, first serve. The ceremony will take place on Feb. 14 at noon as Clerk & Comptroller Stacy M. Butterfield hosts the 11th annual group wedding on the steps of the historic building. The ceremony...
Lake Wales got a good bit greener last Saturday, not only because of welcome rains, but due to the efforts of a team of volunteers from Lake Wales Heritage who braved the damp to landscape the campus of McLaughlin Middle/High School. In a six-hour effort the group planted more than 40 trees on school grounds. "It was a day of bonding for the volunteers, a really rainy day" for the thoroughly saturated group of volunteers, said Heritage Vice President Ron Poller. "It was an...
A horrifying discovery by a sheriff's deputy led to the arrest of a Frostproof woman Thursday morning on charges of felony animal cruelty, animal neglect, and elder neglect. A 75-year old woman was removed from the Fazzini Drive mobile home after air monitors proved a hazardous level of ammonia in the home due to animal urine, as well as feces on the floors and walls. Lisa Lacharite, 48, of Frostproof was booked into the Polk County Jail charged with five counts of animal...
In a program offered annually at the nearby public lands, Lake Wales area residents are able to cut their own tree, but they have to use a hand-saw to do the work. No power tools are allowed in the forest. A tree-cutting permit costs only $10, a great deal when fresh trees cut in other states and brought to Florida cost far more. Available trees are 10 feet to 15 feet tall, but may be trimmed back to the desired size after leaving the forest. Trees will be harvested along...
Daquan Carey, a 23-year-old Winter Haven man who is a "documented gang member," according to the Polk County Violent Gang Investigative Task Force, was arrested in Winter Haven and charged with numerous felonies related to a drive-by shooting in the Waverly area of Lake Wales. The incident happened on 3rd Street in Waverly at about 3:20 am on November 22, according to a statement from the Polk County Sheriff's office. At that scene detectives met with two victims who reported...
Although it's only early November, hundreds of people from Lake Wales and far beyond are preparing for the area's biggest festival of 2024. The 40th annual Lake Wales Mardi Gras celebration will reach a climax on the busy weekend of February 10 when more than a dozen parade "krewes" will step off in colorful costumes and festooned floats to present the annual parade, the traditional high-point of weeks of celebration. "Mardi Gras" is French for "fat Tuesday," the day before...
A Sebring man was killed on US 27 Monday night after failing to slow for a truck making a U-turn at Harbor Drive. Polk County Deputies and Fire Rescue personnel were dispatched to the crash around 7:21pm, according to a police report. First responders found the driver of the GMC deceased in his vehicle. The two-vehicle crash left the driver of the semi-truck, a 34-year old Ocala man, uninjured. PCSO Traffic Homicide Investigations responded to the crash and began collecting...
Construction of a new sewer main and lift station will require the closure of Sunshine Drive in the Crooked Lake Park neighborhood south of Lake Wales for two months starting Monday, December 4. Sunshine Drive will be closed to through traffic at the intersection with U.S. Highway 27. Sunshine Drive residents can access their homes via connecting crossroads from First Avenue North. Minor backups and delays at the First Avenue North and U.S. Highway 27 intersection are possible...
Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has officially confirmed that it will build a new, state-of-the-art pipe manufacturing facility in Lake Wales. The company plans to break ground in 2024 on a 100-acre site with frontage on both South 11th Street and Hunt Brothers Road. The plant will manufacture corrugated plastic pipe, adding to the company's existing manufacturing presence in Florida. "This advanced manufacturing facility is an important investment in a key region for ADS,"...
Lake Wales Police have arrested a local store employee and charged his with credit card theft after he used customer information to attempt to obtain cash. A customer purchased tires at Tire Kingdom in Lake Wales on Saturday, November 4 using their credit card over the phone. According to Sgt. William Smith of the Lake Wales Police Department, within 24 hours, the victim began receiving alerts that the credit card had been used in an attempt to transfer money via an online app...
A warrant has been issued for the arrest for 26-year-old Enrique Martinez, who lives in a homeless camp at 2nd Eloise Terrace in Winter Haven, for first degree murder, possession of a firearm and ammo by a convicted felon, and tampering with evidence. Martinez is alleged to have murdered an adult Hispanic homeless male in the camp at around 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 8, 2023, The victim has not been identified by law enforcement at this time. Martinez is 5'6" tall, 146...
A long-anticipated wave of new restaurants is coming into existence in Lake Wales with the pending openings of three new fast-food outlets. The new restaurants are part of a spate of new construction on US 27 in the vicinity of the Eagle Ridge Mall. The growing population of Lake Wales is a primary justification for the investments being made by the several restaurant chains, according to local officials. Freddy's Frozen Custard and Steakburgers and Slim Chickens are both...
A continuing rise in readership and community reach is evidence 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. Analytics provided by Google indicate that LakeWalesNews.net is the to...
As the City of Lake Wales prepares to begin a major tree-planting effort as part of the Lake Wales Connected effort, a long-vacant horticulturist spot has been filled by a long-time Lakeland gardening expert. Kevin Polk, a certified horticulturist who spent several years supervising the landscape at the City of Lakeland's Hollis Gardens, will take the reins overseeing plans to revive the landscapes in the city's historic core. After spending years reviving the 1928 landscape...
A fire in a Waste Management refuse truck has caused the closure of SR 60 this morning just east of Rifle Range Road and near Logistics Parkway west of Lake Wales. The flaming material was ejected from the vehicle onto the roadway where it has continued to burn furiously, leaving traffic snarled in a growing backup. Motorists are advised to find alternate routes as Polk County firefighters combat the flames, which are likely to have damaged the roadway surface. Traffic was...
Thursday afternoon travelers on Hesperides Road found themselves caught in a lengthy backup after three vehicles tangled at the intersection of Ninth Street. Emergency responders worked to investigate and remove vehicles from travel lanes to clear the street, but no major injuries were reported. The crash was apparently triggered by an illegal right-turn attempt from a left-hand travel lane. A vehicle with two occupants driven by an employee of Edgewood Landscape crossed into...
A weeklong sewer extension project in Lake Hamilton will require the closure of a stretch of Lake Hatchineha Road for several days. According to Bill Skelton of the Polk County Roads & Drainage Division, the closure will affect a portion of the road just east of Scenic Highway. The project was previously scheduled to begin on September 26, but has now been rescheduled to start Tuesday morning, October 10, with an expedited reopening no later than Friday afternoon October 13....
Community civic leaders and interested citizens are expected to gather Thursday evening to view the premiere screening of what is expected to be an influential documentary film introducing the work product of the Lake Wales Envisioned process. The event will begin at 7:00 at the Lake Wales Woman's Club Auditorium. The Envisioned planning effort grew from a desire by city leaders to better shape and guide the impact of dozens of development proposals that will include some 14,0...
Two young Lake Wales residents found themselves quickly in the custody of police after one attempted to rob a man near Polk Avenue Elementary school. According to police, the incident "does not appear to be a random act, as the victim was an acquaintance of the suspects." No shots were fired during the encounter, which was apparently an attempt to frighten and rob the victim. Minutes after receiving the call, a Lake Wales Police response led to the arrest of Joemil Olivers of...
A manhunt for a suspect who was seen on video violently assaulting a Haines City woman and two men who came to her defense was successfully concluded when the man was arrested by the Lake County Sheriff's Office. The Polk County Sheriff's Office has been notified that 35-year old Jose Chaidez of Haines City has been arrested in Lake County. a warrant for Chaidez's arrest had been issued, leading area law enforcement agencies to alert to track him down. Chaidez was captured on...
