Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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Like this owlet our new baby, LakeWalesNews.net, is perched to watch our community from a vantage point not from a safe branch on a tree, but on the ground where life and community are happening each and every day. We know it will take time to develop and strengthen our wings. Our sustenance does not come from our mother's timely feedings. It is fed to us by the members-residents, visitors, businesses and organizations-who are concerned that Lake Wales's flight path will be...
The City of Lake Wales is negotiating with the Lake Wales YMCA to buy its property and building for $636,000. City staff estimates an additional $250,000 will be needed for repairs and renovation of the building. The YMCA, located at 1001 Burns Ave., would continue to manage and operate the child care program, camps, aquatics, youth and sports activities, exercise and wellness programs. Under the proposal currently being negotiated, the property would be leased back from the...
The American Association of University Women is hosting a forum March 14 featuring the candidates for Lake Wales City Commission. The forum is open to the public and begins at 5:30 p.m. at the James P. Austin Center, 315 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in Lake Wales. Lake Wales voters on April 2 will elect a mayor and one city commissioner and vote on a proposed City Charter change that would extend commission terms from two years to three. The change would go into effect...
Stacy Gayle, RN, was named Employee of the Month for January for Lake Wales Medical Center. A Charge Nurse since 2017, Stacy consistently receives accolades. "Her quality of care is superior," one patient told a nurse leader. "Her level of compassion and empathy is amazing and refreshing." Her supervisor noted, "Stacy ensures the patients and their families are well informed and able to participate in their care. She has an amazing work ethic, and the patients and physicians...
For Debbie Paschal, Shirley Woodward and Betty Harper it's like an annual reunion, coming back to Lake Aurora Christian Camp where they spent time in the summer of 1947, the camp's inaugural year. The three ladies from Miami, Port Charlotte and Orlando gathered March 7 with about 200 other seniors from about 25 churches for the annual "Young at Heart Day." "They are from supporting churches so they come back every year – they are just longtime camp friends," said Phyllis B...
Anna Martha Singleton of Lake Wales passed away Friday, March 8 at her residence. She was born Oct. 20, 1928 in Malvern, AL to the late Christopher and Myrle Messer; she grew up in the Lake Wales area, moved to Texas for 20 years and returned to Lake Wales in 1969. She was a homemaker and member of the Golfview Baptist Church. She loved her family, people, gardening and the outdoors. Anna was preceded in death by her husband, Whit Singleton; brothers, Joe Messer, Robert...
As Benjamin Franklin once said, in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes. Taxes impact nearly every aspect of your financial life, from your overall financial and investment strategy to how you choose to save for your most important goals, such as a dream vacation, retirement or your child's education. Understanding tax concepts and tax planning strategies-and opportunities that may reduce your tax bill-will help you make the most of the money yo...
Alan Joel Harrell of Winter Haven passed away Thursday, March 7 at the Winter Haven Hospital. He was born April 20, 1948 in Lake Wales to the late Joseph and Louise Harrell and was a lifelong resident of the area. He worked in commercial construction and was of the Christian faith. Alan was a veteran of Vietnam, serving in the U.S. Army and earned a Purple Heart. He loved fishing and the outdoors. Alan was preceded in death by his sister, Sheryl Lee Bradley and a brother, Michael Harrell. Survivors include his daughters,...
The Lake Wales Arts Council is holding a swanky night of fine food and jazz in three acts. A Night in New York is the Lake Wales Arts Council's annual dinner & fundraising event scheduled for 6:30-9:30 p.m. Saturday, March 16. The evening will feature Paul Gavin and an all-star group of musicians, plus the musical stylings of Whitney James and Brian Hughes, two of the most in-demand jazz vocalists in Florida. The band will play all of the classics from the Great American...
Easiest Blue Cheese Dressing 4 oz. blue cheese ½ C sour cream ½ C mayonnaise Pulse in a mini food processor just until blended. My mother made this for special occasions when I was young. She pushed the blue cheese through a sieve to make tiny particles of all of it. Then she added the rest and stirred to combine. You can do it her way or the easy way. It’s a clean, simple, tasty dressing....
There are some basics that are good for everyone to know and follow. Getting sick unnecessarily isn't worth the risk. Food fight trivia: Some of us growing up followed the 5-second rule for food that was dropped on the floor. That was the belief that food that had only been on the floor for five seconds was safe to eat. The Journal of Applied and Environmental Microbiology reported that the longer the food was in contact with a germy surface, the more contaminated it became....
Has someone you love had a stroke or heart attack? Can what we eat impact our health in a dramatic way? This study says yes. 100 people with existing coronary issues changed their diets to try and prevent a second coronary issue. JAHA, the Journal of the American Heart Association, (AHA) reported last November on the findings from a trial of 100 people with existing coronary artery disease. They wanted to see if diet affected secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease...
Chevon Baccus, executive editor and publisher of LakeWalesNews.net spoke to the members of the GFWC Woman's Club of Lake Wales Thursday, March 7 about the community's new online publication. Baccus told the group that since its soft launch Feb. 13 the online news site has published more than 100 stories and nearly 500 photos. "The site is growing in popularity and readership and we're looking forward to a bright future," Baccus said. The loss of the local newspaper, The Lake...
Donald Edwin Wauchope, 79 of Lake Wales, died Feb. 28 at Winter Haven Hospital. U.S. Veteran. Born June 16, 1939 in Elgin, Illinois, he was a U.S. Air Force Veteran. Memorial services were Sunday, March 3 at his home. Epps Memorial Funeral Home of Lake Wales was in charge of arrangements....
Baker T. Owens, 69 of Orlando, died March 5 at Dr. Phillips Hospital in Orlando, Florida. Born Dec. 30, 1949, he is a former resident of Lake Wales. Service details are incomplete. Epps Memorial Funeral Home in Lake Wales is in charge of arrangements....
It still surprises Jennifer D'Hollander when people drop by the Lake Wales Museum for the first time and say they didn't realize it was there. The restored railroad Depot has been offering visitors a glimpse into Central Florida's past for more than 40 years. Museum Director D'Hollander and her staff are working diligently to promote the facility, its exhibits and programs. Their hard work paid off in 2018, when they hosted 6,577 visitors, a 37 percent increase over 2017....
Not all of a student's education comes from a teacher. Classrooms are often like melting pots, as children from different backgrounds and experiences learn valuable lessons from each other. In Polk County Public Schools, nearly 76 percent of students with disabilities spend the majority of their day (at least 80 percent of their time in school each day) in the regular education classroom sitting alongside their peers without disabilities, according to the most recent data and...
Have you been practicing your target shooting for "Bustin' Clays with Sheriff Grady Judd?" The 11th annual clay shooting event is just around the corner on March 16, so now is the time to register. Polk Sheriff's Charities, Inc. is holding the event again at Tenoroc Sporting Clays in Lakeland. Sign-in starts at 7 a.m. and the event begins at 8 a.m. Last year over 500 people attended Bustin' Clays and over 360 shooters were signed up. Sponsorship opportunities are still...
Mardi Gras festivities Saturday included a 5K, the traditional downtown parade and lots of music, food and fun by the lake. Check out photos of the event at https://www.lakewalesnews.net/photos...
Polk County School District officials unveiled a plan this week to offer high school students a Lake Wales option by adding grades 9-12 to the current McLaughlin Middle School. McLaughlin would increase its fine arts programs and add a high-tech academy if the proposal is approved by the School Board. Board Chairman Lynn Wilson expressed his immediate and strong opposition to the idea, but the other six Board members seemed at least open to the possibility. School Board...
A week-long observation in all seven Lake Wales Charter schools culminated with a special community event at Eagle Ridge Mall with hundreds of staff, students, families and local supporters celebrating Disabilities Awareness Week. Charter Schools participated in a variety of activities designed to help students, teachers, staff, families and the broader community understand the importance of supporting special need students – children with disabilities – and their fam...
The Lake Wales Public Library's Lifelong Learning series will provide a three-part series in April, To Your Health! The series will be presented by Ginny Powell, a retired cooperative education professor at Rutgers University who holds two degrees in home economic education. The first in the series is To Your Health! - Eat Smart. This workshop will use the USDA's "My Plate" to help people find out how their favorite foods measure up to healthy, nutritious eating. Participants...
Tera Dent has, one way or another, always been a cheerleader. For four years, it was on the sidelines at Warner University, where she was getting her elementary education degree. Today, it's as Hillcrest Elementary's "K Academy" Director, working to support the academic needs of struggling students who were retained along with incoming students who are academically ahead of their peers, work that led to her being named the school's 2018-19 Teacher of the Year. "I love that...
Genifer Redmon didn't start her career as a school teacher, but from the sounds of it, it's likely she might finish it as one. Redmon, a graduate of Webber International University, spent six years working as the office manager at a property management firm, but for a time as the university's cheerleading coach as well. It was that part of her work on Crooked Lake that inspired her to a new profession, and the title of Janie Howard Wilson Elementary School of Environmental...
Bok Academy North teacher Margaret Thomas has a daily tradition with her sixth grade students. Every day, she likes to greet them with a question, something that simultaneously can entertain and educate her youngsters at the same time. It's part of the reason she has been named as the school's first-ever Teacher of the Year. Bok North opened its doors this past August. "It is the highlight of my day," she said of her routine, which sets the tone for entering a classroom that...
