Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 29
There's just something inherently wrong about people who clearly don't understand social media trying to regulate others' use of it. Lake Wales City Manager Ken Fields, through the city's HR director, proposed a social media policy that required not only employees, but also city officials to get approval prior to posting on social media. At 72, Fields is at the upper end of the Baby Boomer generation. According to a 2018 Facebook demographic study only one in four people over...
Isabelle G. Brown, 93, of Nalcrest passed away Wednesday, March 27 at The Grove Center in Lake Wales. She was born November 8, 1925 in Orange, VA to the late John and Edna (Minor) Gordon. She has been a resident of the area since 2014. She was a homemaker and a member of the Promise Land Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. She is preceded in death by her husband Lee O. Brown, sister Madeline Washington, 2 brothers James Gordon and Carroll Gordon. She is survived by her son...
Lisha M. Boswell, 52, of Lake Wales, passed away Tuesday, March 26 at her residence. She was born December 18, 1966 in Lawrenceburg, IN. She has been a resident of the area since 1974. She was a cook. Lisha loved Bingo, slots and gambling, she also enjoyed fishing and cooking. She is survived by her parents Glenn and Catherine Lunsford, daughters Linda Marie Henderson, Brittany Lynn Spurlock, son Norman Glenn Ploof, sisters Angela Jean Dunklebarger, Beth Ann Godwin, Bridgett Lynn Southerland, brother Glenn Allen Lunsford and...
The cattle industry is big business in Polk County, contributing an estimated $1.2 billion to the local economy and creating about 5,859 jobs, according to a March 2019 impact analysis produced by the University of Florida-IFAS. The UF-IFAS study said as of January 2019, Florida had an inventory of 1.68 million cattle and calves, including 914,000 beef cows and 116,000 dairy cows. An estimated 60,600 of them were in Polk County, which has the third largest cattle operation in...
Betty Jean Daniels Doles, 79 of Boston, Massachusetts, formerly of Lake Wales, died at Benjamin Health Center in Boston on March 25. She was born December 29, 1939 in Lake Wales, Florida. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. to service time Saturday, April 6 at in the Chapel at Epps Memorial Funeral Home, 445 S. 4th Street in Lake Wales. Service will follow at 11 a.m....
Mary Virginia Aho-Orth, 90, of Lake Wales, passed away Tuesday, March 26 at her residence. She was born August 4, 1928 in Argo, IL to the late Joseph Frank and Virginia (Layacono) Camaliere. She has been a resident of this area for 29 years moving here from Friendship, Wisconsin. She was a retired insurance secretary and a member of the Holy Spirit Catholic Church. Mary enjoyed camping, she collected angel figurines, volunteered for the Lake Wales Medical Center for over 20 years, was a volunteer at the Lake Wales Care Center...
By 2 p.m. on election day Tuesday, April 2, more than 1,800 City of Lake Wales voters had cast ballots. With five hours to go, the number of votes cast was already 20 percent higher than in the most recent city election in 2017. Nearly 1,500 vote by mail ballots had been received by the supervisor of elections office, and additional ballots would be accepted up to the 7 p.m. deadline. City Clerk Jennifer Nanek said voting was going smoothly and turnout was definitely up. In 20...
John "Lites" Leenhouts loves all things aviation and his enthusiasm is contagious. He's getting ready for the biggest week of his year April 2-7 when he welcomes about 200,000 people to the 45th annual SUN 'n FUN International Fly-in and Expo. The retired Naval aviator is finishing his eighth year as president and CEO of the Fly-in and the Aerospace Center for Excellence. His office in Hangar A at the Linder International Airport southwest of Lakeland is filled with photos,...
CORRECTION TO PREVIOUS STORY: An earlier story underreported the total projects to SEMCO, citing $1.1 million, but incorrectly stated all projects were awarded without bids. The City did put out requests for proposals on hurricane-related projects, but only one other company bid on one project, the water plant repairs. SEMCO met the stricter FEMA requirements and was awarded the contracts. For the downtown trail project the City received four proposals. One firm retracted...
Enrollment for the summer and fall 2019 semesters at Polk State College will start when students return from spring break. Priority registration will begin April 1 for students who have completed 30 credit hours or more. Students can check their credit-hour status and whether they qualify for priority registration on PASSPORT. Open enrollment will begin for summer April 8, which is also when current students will be able to enroll in classes for fall. Open enrollment for fall...
Keep Polk County Beautiful, Inc. will host free tire recycling eventa from 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays March 30 and April 6. The March 30 pickup will be at Winter Haven Home Depot, 2000 8th St. N.W (Corner of Havendale Blvd.). The April 6 tire pickup will be at the vacant lot northeast of the Keep Polk Count Beautiful office at 45 4th St. S in Eagle Lake. Residents and agricultural land owners may dispose of up to 24 tires per vehicle. No tire businesses, independent or...
The City of Lake Wales is holding a curbside cleanup Saturday, March 30. Republic Services will pick up general junk, box springs and mattresses, unusable furniture and appliances and other items you normally can't put out for pickup. Acceptable items include unusable desks, chairs, tables, lamps, and tires without rims. They will not pick up construction debris such as fence or remodel materials or hazardous waste items such as paint, batteries, chemicals or solvents. The...
The Life Long Learning Center at Melange Antiques and Art Gallery in historic downtown Lake Wales is planning its grand opening with a weekend retreat April 5-7. Lifestyle and well-being experts Cal Hauptle and Emme Simon from Asheville, NC will kick off the weekend with a free conversational evening on well-being, health, wealth, relationships and perfect self-expression. The gathering, open to the public, will take place from 5-7 p.m. Friday, April 5 in the Gallery at Melang...
Central Florida Health Expo will host an encore Health exhibit/expo from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, March 29 at the International Market World Flea and Farmers Market in Auburndale. Participants are invited to spend the day learning about medical resources and health options in the Central Florida Area. Exhibitors offer a host of services to improve health and lifestyle. The expo will have have giveaways and prize drawings. The Expo is sponsored by Central Florida Media Group,...
Easy Spicy Black Bean Butternut Squash Chili WFPBNO (whole food plant based no oil) Ingredients 1# butternut squash, after peeling and chopping 1 15.5 oz. can black beans 1 10 oz. can Rotel, Hot 1 medium onion (150g, although I used a large onion) 3 cloves garlic 2T mild chili powder 1t cumin 1/8t cinnamon 2.3 oz espresso 1 1/3 C water total or more to taste Avocado for topping, optional Instructions Dice onion Sauté in 1/3 cup water over medium heat Peel squash, cut in half...
Homeowners needing help to repair damage from Hurricane Irma in 2017 have until Friday, March 29 to apply for assistance through the "Rebuild Florida" program. The program will help low-income Floridians in Polk and 13 other counties pay for still uncompleted home repairs. The state Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) announced the "Rebuild Florida" program in September, with a goal of helping homeowners pay for still uncompleted repairs caused by damage from the storm....
Anyone who has ever said watching golf is boring has never attended a Symetra Tour event. From start to finish everyone present gave their all to make this professional and qualified amateur ladies developmental tour coupled with Florida's Natural's fundraising arm benefit event a resounding success. More than 200 volunteers administered to every need from the Pro-Am to the Junior Clinic Special Events to parking attendants to scorekeepers to standard bearers required...
Polk County Public Schools' TV channel is sporting more than a new look these days. The upgraded channel now features original videos highlighting students and schools. Viewers can still watch broadcasts of School Board meetings, as well as recorded coverage of special events. The channel's new layout also displays various job openings available with the school district, and streams news from our Twitter feed and event calendar. The centerpiece of the revamped channel -...
The Sun 'n Fun 45th Birthday Bash is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 4. The celebration is the premier fundraising event during the Sun 'n Fun International Fly-In & Expo; all proceeds generated are returned to Aerospace Center for Excellence STEAM education programs, including over $430,000 annually I scholarships for students pursuing aerospace and aviation careers. Birthday party festivities include a cocktail reception, delectable cuisine, live entertainment by...
For its third exhibit since opening in October 2018, the Gallery at Melange is bringing together two artists who have never met, but have a great deal in common. Both majored in the arts in college, and both have enjoyed long careers as teachers. Both have simultaneously created art for most of their adult lives, and have each chosen a similar approach to blending reality and fantasy with an emphasis on re-imagining and intertwining the flora, fauna and common elements of the...
The Knights of Columbus are having fish fry dinners every Friday night during the Lenten season. Upcoming events will be March 29, April 5 and April 12 in the Parish Hall at Holy Spirit Catholic Church, 644 S. 9th St. in Lake Wales. The meal includes an entrée of fried fish, baked fish or fried shrimp and a choice of sides: French fries, corn, green beans, coleslaw and hush puppies. Coffee, sweet tea or lemonade are included with the meal. Cost is $9 for adults and $5 for a...
More than 22 million adult children between the ages of 18 and 34 are living at home with their parents.1 This phenomenon is partially driven by the financial realities facing 20-somethings today, but it also illustrates the strong ties that exist between boomer parents – who have been scrutinized for "helicopter parenting" – and their boomerang kids. The U.K. Journal, Psychologist, found that more than half of millennials phone, text or email their parents nearly every day...
United Way of Central Florida will have a new president and CEO April 1. The Board of Directors named Christina Criser Jackson to lead the organization. Criser Jackson, vice president of resource development, began her career at UWCF in 2008 as the Director of the Leadership Giving Association. In 2012, Criser Jackson was named Vice President of Major Gifts and Young Leader Engagement. She was named VP of Resource Development in 2015. "Christina knows the ins and outs of this...
On a beautiful March afternoon, we were asked to join in the celebration being held at The Vanguard School in Lake Wales. The sprawling 77-acre campus was hosting a special guest and honoring three athletes who will further their education after graduation from Vanguard. When I arrived on campus I was met by Julie Diaz, Director of Development, and she was bubbling with excitement to take me to the gym for the signing of the three athletes. As we meandered to the gym, students...
History buffs are invited for a tour to learn more about old Florida, to drive through the heart of downtown Lake Wales and stop at the historic building of the Lake Wales Arts Center. The Town and Country History Bus Tour will run from 10 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, April 2. Along the way, participants will learn about the historic district, buildings and lakes of Lake Wales. Enjoy an air-conditioned ride on the new History Bus! Cost is $15 per person and seating is limited. Advanced registration & payment are required. Please...
