Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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Lake Wales will soon have another member of the Wright family heading up a local school. Debra Wright-Hudson has been tapped to serve as principal of McLaughlin Middle School and Fine Arts Academy in Lake Wales effective June 17. Wright-Hudson's father, Dr. Clint Wright was the first superintendent of Lake Wales Charter Schools from 2004 until his death in 2007. Her mother, also named Debra, served as the area's representative on the Polk County School Board. Her sister,...
The Lake Wales NAACP Branch 5109 presented its Servant Leader Award to Bishop Roscoe Williams III. Board member Nicara Daniels announced the award at the Branch's 46th Annual Freedom Fund Banquet Saturday, June 15 at the James P. Austin Center. Williams was born in Sylvester, GA and moved to Florida at a very young age. He graduated with the class of 1974 from Lake Wales High School. He married his high school sweetheart, Annie, and they are the proud parents of four children...
The Polk Transportation Planning Organization is seeking comments from the public on the Draft Public Participation Plan. The Plan serves as a guidebook for the public, as to how and when they can engage in the regional transportation planning and decision-making process. The plan: • Outlines public involvement policies; • Describes TPO public communication tools (outreach strategies); and • Measures both the quantity and quality of interaction with the public. This is an up...
Hoping to avert a teacher shortage in the fall, the Polk County School Board is holding online job fairs in July. School officials say they are trying to make it easier than ever to explore a teaching career with PCPS!. Interested persons can hop onine and chat with schol officials about teaching opportunities. Register for the online chats at the links below. (Each session will be held from noon to 2 p.m.) Tuesday, July 9th https://tinyurl.com/y4jnomsh Tuesday, July 16th...
"Electrifying" is how Lake Wales resident Elizabeth "Bet" Tucker described the Orlando rally Tuesday, June 18 to kick off the 2020 re-election campaign of President Donald Trump. It was only 50 miles away but she and friend Teresa Burr from Winter Haven stayed at an Orlando hotel because of the long day planned. They woke up very early Tuesday and were in line at the Amway Center by 7 a.m., a full 13 hours before the president was scheduled to speak. "It was my first rally...
Lake Wales City Commissioners are holding a recreation workshop Tuesday, June 25 to further discuss plans to purchase the local YMCA and to develop a master plan for Crystal Lake Park. The public meeting will start at 6 p.m. at the James P. Austin Center at 315 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. If officials can come to terms with the Y, the city would pay off the Lake Wales Family YMCA mortgage and lease the facilities back at $1 per year for the YMCA of West Central Florida...
Scott Wayne Wyrosdick, 42, of Lake Wales passed away Wednesday, June 19 at Lakeland Regional Medical Center. He was born September 21, 1976 in Lake Wales and has been a lifelong resident of the area. He was a lawn man and loved fishing and hunting. He is preceded in death by his father Edward “Eddie” Wayne Wyrosdick and companion Melissa Wells. He is survived by his mother Rose Wyrosdick, sons, Jonathan Wyrosdick, Charles Fanz, Austin Wyrosdick, sister Amanda Rose Hayes, and paternal grandmother Mary S. Wyrosdick. Family wil...
The Lake Wales History Museum will be hosting "Wildlife of Florida and Beyond" Day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 22. As part of Summer Fun Days at the Museum, people of all ages will be making edible dirt pies, botanical prints, and see natural history artifacts and a wildlife demonstration. A reptile discovery program meet and greet will be held from 1-3 p.m. Participants can learn about a different wild animals from Florida and beyond. Guests are welcome to meet a...
Antronge Samuel Johnson, 47, of Lake Wales passed away Monday, May 6, 2019 at The Grove Center. He was born October 13, 1971 in Belle Glade, FL to Essie Lee Johnson and he has been a resident of this area since August of 2017. Antronge was of the Protestant Faith. Services will be at 11 a.m. June 19 at Marion Nelson Funeral Home. Interment will be held at the Wildwood Cemetery....
Henry Lewis Johnson, 68 of Sanford, a former resident of Lake Wales, died June 8 at home. He was born March 23, 1951. Services will be at 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 26 at Epps Memorial Funeral Home in Lake Wales....
Lydia Freeman Williams aka " Lit " , 82 of Lake Wales, died June 7 at Cypress Care Center in Wildwood, FL under Cornerstone Hospice Care. She was born July 10, 1936 in Cairo, GA. Services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, June 29 at Allen Temple A.M.E. Church, 241 C St., Lake Wales. Epps Memorial Funeral Home is in charge of local arrangements....
A new partnership between the Lake Wales Charter Schools system and other community stakeholders including Lake Wales Medical Center could truly be life changing for local students. Along with Victory Ridge Academy, the Center for Independent Living in Central Florida, Inc., and Florida Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, the entities are combining to launch Project SEARCH, a nine month immersive internship program for students with disabilities ages 18-22 years old. This...
Teens rule during the production of "Reality Stars: Greek Gods Edition" for six performances over two weekends beginning Friday June 14 at the Lake Wales Little Theatre. "The play reveals what happens when you mix the Greek gods with reality television," explains Robby Hartley, director, about the teen production written by Jonathan Yukich and produced by arrangement with Eldridge Publishing Company, Venice FL. "This is the best cast we've had in seven years, as far as talent...
Alice Absolutely is a self-taught artist positioning her work at the cusp of Abstract Emotionalism. She was born in Winter Haven and works now as Lake Wales Public Library's very own teen specialist (although you'd know her better as Amanda McCallister in that role). She is displaying artwork pieces through June 28 in the Lake Wales Public Library's Local Artist Gallery from her collection, "Flying High at the End of My Rope." This collection is a visual circus of emotional...
Fra Eva Bagwell of Lake Wales passed away Thursday, June 13, 2019 at Lakeland Regional Medical Center. She was born August 30, 1936 in Bridgeport, CT to the late George H. and Marjorie (Voorhees) Knapp. She has been a resident of the area for 25 years coming from Indianapolis, Indiana. She was a Homemaker and of the Methodist faith. Fra was a member of the Lake Wales Lions Club, GFWC-FFWC Lake Wales Woman’s Club, Christian Women’s Club, United Methodist Women, and she loved flowers and birds. She is preceded in death by her...
To demonstrate the flaws in current Florida law regarding emotional support animals, state Rep. Sam Killebrew said he paid a fee online and registered his stuffed baboon named Ophelia. He wasn't able to get the lax law toughened this year but he did call attention to how easy it is, especially for apartment and condo dwellers, to circumvent the rules. That was just one issue East Polk County business leaders heard about as they gathered for breakfast Thursday, June 13 to learn...
Thomas Terranova, 92, of Lake Wales passed away Wednesday, June 12 at Rucki Hospice Care Center in Zephyrhills, FL. He was born July 23, 1926 in Brooklyn, NY to the late Charles and Olinda (Arena) Terranova and he has been a resident of this area since 2003 moving here from New Jersey. Thomas began his career as the owner operator of Toms Garage in Cologne, New Jersey. He later taught automotive mechanics at the Atlantic County Vocational School in Mays Landing, NJ. As an...
The Lake Wales NAACP Branch 5109 recognized Eddye Jean Rivers with its Community Leader Award. NAACP Board Member Nicara Daniels presented the award at the branch's 46th Annual Freedom Fund Banquet June 15 at the James P. Austin Community Center. Rivers was born in Lake Wales, he daughter of the late Edward and Belle Sumlin. She is one of seven children. She graduated from Roosevelt High School in the Class of 1956 and married David Rivers. They have one son, David Rivers Jr....
Florida Senate Minority Leader Audrey Gibson fired up members of the Lake Wales NAACP Saturday June 15 with a rousing call to be bold, to vote and to make sure others vote. The Jacksonville Democrat was keynote speaker for Branch 5109's 46th Annual Freedom Fund Banquet. Gibson has been in the Florida Legislature since 2002, the first eight years as a Representative, and the last eight as a Senator. Since it was Father's Day weekend, Gibson brought her dad, Ernest Gibson, to...
Mary Neil Hardman Whitmire Chandley, 88, passed peacefully in her sleep on June 9, 2019 at 4 a.m. She was a lifelong resident of Lake Wales, born on January 5, 1931 to Cleo and Neil Hardman, both pioneer residents of Lake Wales. Throughout her life, Mary Neil was always very active in school, church, community service, youth organizations, music and other local projects. She graduated with honors from Lake Wales High School in 1948 and attended Piedmont College in Demorest,...
