Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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As a New Year approaches a common theme is setting New Year's resolutions for yourself. As an addict I can remember setting goals of trying to do better in life. The one I would tell everyone was that I would quit smoking cigarettes. In reality I was setting a resolution of being clean going into the New Year. Year after year I failed at this, but deep down I wanted it to be true. I wanted a better life. I was tired of living day to day under the influence of drugs and...
Frankie Reed White, 88 of Sebring died Jan. 5 in Riverview, Florida under Life Path Hospice Care. She was born Nov. 5, 1931 in Bradenton, Fl. She was a private duty nurse. Visitation is from 6-8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 10 at Epps Memorial Funeral Home Chapel in Lake Wales. Services are at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 11 at Allen Temple A.M.E. Church, 241 C. St. in Lake Wales....
Julia Ann Brinson Reed, 63 of Lake Wales, died at home Jan. 9, 2020 under Good Shepherd Hospice Care. She was born March 29, 1956. Services are incomplete. Epps Memorial Funeral Home in Lake Wales is in charge of arrangements....
Publix Pharmacy recently filled its 100 millionth free prescription as part of its free medication program. "We are proud to provide a service that helps our customers afford their medications," said Publix Vice President of Pharmacy Dain Rusk. "As the cost of health care continues to rise, this program has become even more important to our customers and our communities. Too often, high prescription costs prevent people from taking medication as prescribed. When medications...
People who love singing are invited to join voices for the spring semester of the Lake Wales Chorale. The first session with new director Dana Hofstrom of Warner University begins at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 13 at the Lake Wales Arts Center gallery, 1099 SR 60 E. Those new to the chorale are asked to come at 6:30 p.m. to register. Hofstrom is director of choral music and instructor in worship and music at Warner University. Cost is $50 per person, which includes music. Students...
A variety of activities are planned Jan. 16-20 in Lake Wales to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Committee is inviting participation in the following: 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 16 at James P Austin Community Center, 315 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. A pot luck dinner is being sponsored by Unity in the Community entitled "Dessert First". Please come out and get to know your community neighbors. For more...
Auditions for the March Lake Wales Little Theatre production of Super Freaks will be Jan. 13 and 14. Director Lesta Woods is looking to cast three men and three women in this fun play about quirky inmates at a mental health facilty who imagine they are crime-fighting superheroes. A copy of the script is available for review at the Lake Wales Public Library. Auditions start at 6:30 p.m. both day at the theatre at 411 N. 3rd St. in Lake Wales. In the play, Lois Lancaster is a...
Yesterday's Treasures owners Betty and William (Bill) Schermerhorn have collected for over 50 years mostly in New York state, and many of those finds are displayed and for sale at their shop in a house located at 125 W. Park Ave. a few blocks west of the Lake Wales Post Office. For any of you who know the place, but haven't stopped to look, you are in for a visual and virtual walk down memory lane. "We have an eclectic assortment of treasures from yesterday's past," says...
Lake Wales Highlanders head coach Tavaris Johnson was voted the 2019 Buccaneers High School Coach of the Year contest from an elite field of weekly winners representing seven counties of area high schools. To qualify Coach Johnson won Week Ten's Coach of the Week, and through a voting process, came out on top to win the prestigious award over the other ten nominees. The program is sponsored by Tampa Electric (TECO) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Foundation. Johnson is the...
The Sierra Club is hosting a presentation Jan. 9 about why the Gopher Tortoise is such an important, enigmatic species – landlord of the upland. Polly, the resident Gopher Tortoise at Circle B, will be in attendance to demonstrate the characteristics that make this species so unique. Ongoing gopher tortoise research at Circle B Bar Reserve will also be discussed. The program presented by Pam DeNeve begins at 7 p.m., with a covered dish dinner at 6:30 p.m. Those who wish to p...
Polk County Public Schools has teamed up with the Polk County Sheriff's Office and the Florida Department of Health in Polk County to warn students and families about the dangers of vaping. The school district produced a public service video featuring PCPS Superintendent Jacqueline Byrd, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, and Dr. Joy Jackson, director of the Florida Department of Health in Polk. The video also features students from George Jenkins, Ridge Community and Winter...
Polk State College serves nearly 3,000 students each year through its dual-enrollment, early-admission, and collegiate high school programs, providing a variety of accelerated-learning and cost-saving opportunities for students and their families. Dual-enrollment and early-admission options allow Polk County students from all public secondary schools, most area private high schools, and home-education programs to take college courses and earn credit toward both their high...
Your relationship is about living a happy life together, not dollars and cents. A little financial planning may help you get there. There’s nothing more exciting than tying the knot with the person you love. Of course, there are conversations you’ll want to have with your partner as you take this step. To avoid disagreements and finance-related pitfalls down the road, one of the most important ones is about money. Here are some top tips for talking about money with the per...
The six-month warning period for texting while driving is coming to an end. Law enforcement officers will begin citing violators Jan. 1, with fines of $30 for the first offense. Texting while driving became a primary offense July 1, meaning law officers can now pull over drivers they see texting. In the past, officers needed another reason to make the stop. The texting ban does not apply to a driver using a navigation device or to a driver whose vehicle is stationary. The...
The Lake Wales Library Association is partnering with the renowned travel company, Collette, to present a vacation opportunity in the United Kingdom. This 10-day trip includes excursions to London, York, Edinburgh Castle, the Lake District, Chester, Llangollen, Wales and Stratford-upon-Avon. Double occupancy accommodations are $3,599 per person. Single occupancy accommodations are $4,299 per person. Prices include round-trip airfare, hotels and twelve meals, (eight breakfasts...
Registration for the 28th Annual Polk Senior Games begins Jan. 2. The Games, scheduled for Feb. 29 to March 16, offer a two-week series of 98 Olympic-style events in 38 athletic and recreational sports. They attract nearly 2,500 men and women, 50 and over, with a variety of skills - the serious competitor, the fun at heart, the seasoned athlete, the late bloomer, and the physically challenged. The purpose of the Games is to promote friendly competition, fellowship, health and...
Betty Annene Smith, 73, of Lake Wales passed away Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2020 at Grace Healthcare. She was born October 12, 1946 in Lake Wales to the late Ebin T. and Sara N. (Goldin) Holt. She has been a lifelong resident of the area. She was a CNA for Lake Wales Hospital and member of the First Baptist Church in Lake Wales. She is survived by her son William Smith and wife Christy of Lake Wales, sister Fran Gerlosky and husband Mike of Lake Wales, brothers Hugh Holt and wife Brenda of Lake Wales, Harold Holt and wife Sigrun of...
Dr. Armour Rand Sutherland, 79, of Lake Wales passed away Thursday, Jan. 2, 2020 at his residence. He was born Jan. 9, 1940 in Bowie, TX to the late Armour and Ruby (Smith) Sutherland. He has been a resident of the area since 2006, coming from Lakeland. He was a professor at Florida Southern College and a Methodist minister. He received his Bachelor of Arts from Oberlin College, OH and his Bachelor of Divinity and Doctorate of Philosophy from the University of Chicago. He was a fine teacher who positively influenced the lives...
You don't lose fifty pounds in two weeks. You lose them one pound at a time. You don't begin a fitness regiment by running a marathon. You run a mile or two. So don't stare at the prospect of de-stressing and re-building your life by expecting to change everything by midnight tonight. It's too intimidating. You are who you are. You may want changes, but those changes can't – and won't – happen in an instant. The one thing I have seen repeatedly in people who face daunting chal...
Kevin Sunderland says he was pleasantly surprised to be named City of Lake Wales 2019 Employee of the Year. As manager of information technology he does much of his work behind the scenes and behind his computer screen. In announcing his selection city Library Director Tina Peak pointed out that Sunderland's job effects the work of all city employees every day. "I enjoy trying to help everybody out," said Sunderland, who was hired six years ago as network administrator and rec...
Lake Wales Police would like to hear from anyone who might have witnessed a fatal accident where a pedestrian was hit by a car shortly after 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 3 on U.S. 27 at Lakeside Drive. A 22-year-old Lake Wales woman, Regina Kelly, was attempting to cross U.S. 27 when she was hit by a car traveling south driven by Jill Smeal of Babson Park. Police said Kelly apparently walked into the path of Smeal's Buick. Kelly was pronounced dead at the scene. The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is encouraged...
Lake Wales' longtime historian, visionary, beloved wife, and mother, Mimi (Mary Leigh Reid) Hardman, died at age 85 on Dec. 13 following an extended illness. A driving force for historic preservation and celebrating the pioneers who built Lake Wales, Hardman left behind an extraordinary legacy. In her adopted hometown and beyond, Mimi will be remembered as the founder and director of the Depot Museum, host of the annual Pioneer Days festival, red outfits and patriotic...
Ronald Clifford "Ronnie" Huggins, 65, of Lake Wales passed away Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2020 at Winter Haven Hospital. He was born November 15, 1954 in Batavia, NY. He grew up in Polk County then later moved to West Palm Beach for his career in construction and returned in 2009 when he retired. He was the project superintendent for Clark Construction. He was a member of Waverly Baptist Church and Lake Wales American Legion. He enjoyed fishing, was a big 49ers fan, loved to cook...
Twenty years ago one determined Lake Wales mother decided children with disabilities deserved better. Mertice Fehringer (now Kelly) didn't like the fact that her daughter Connie and other children with special needs were pretty much ignored by the community. What started as one Sunday School classroom at First Assembly of God (now IMPACT) Church grew into the full-time Circle of Friends Ministry, which will celebrate its 20th Anniversary Reunion Saturday, Jan. 11. The...
Registration closes Saturday, Jan. 11 for participation in the 2020 Lake Wales Little League. Parents may register in-person from 6-8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, Jan. 6-10, or from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 11 at the Barranco Field, 300 N. Lakeshore Blvd. Online registration is available until Saturday at www.lakewalesll.org. The registration fee is $100, but $30 of that is returned once a parent works a shift in the concession stand. The Little League programs include...
