Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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In times of injustice, sickness, turmoil, and fear, where should we turn? Why should we turn there? Here are some instructions we should heed from Paul: 1 Thessalonians 5:17-22: Pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil. (ESV) 1 Timothy 2:1,8: First of all, then, I urge that...
Have you watched the news lately; or checked Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, or other "media" outlets recently? James 3:6-8: And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full...
Downtown Lake Wales shoppers have one more week to submit copies of their June receipts to possibly win a prize. Lake Wales Main Street is sponsoring the Shop & Win program to encourage more people to shop in the city's historic downtown. Main Street Director Karen Thompson said during the program's first month shoppers submitted more than $1,500 in receipts for purchases made downtown in May. "The Shop & Win program was initially intended to help with the restaurants closed...
The Lake Wales Charter Review Committee held its organizational meeting Wednesday, June 24, and all five members expressed a willingness to kick in with twice monthly meetings to get the job done by December. The charter details how the city is governed, and any suggested changes will be put to the voters in April 2021. The committee elected consultant and publisher Chevon Baccus as chairperson and college administrator Andy Oguntola as vice chairperson. Other members are all...
This is the seventh installment in the Lake Wales Renaissance series. Lake Wales City Commissioner Robin Gibson serves as Deputy Mayor and Chairman of the city's Community Redevelopment Agency. The Dover-Kohl plan is much more than an update of the well-worn 1973 improvements to Downtown. The plan covers the town's historic core. It is thorough, comprehensive, and doable. The entire plan can be viewed at: https://www.doverkohl.com/lakewales. Appropriately named "Lake Wales...
From: Michelle Shiver, CVA, RSVP Coordinator Health and Human Services Division/Community Relations, BOCC Anyone who is still working and has lost hours (furloughed, laid off, hours reduced) due to Covid-19, please apply for the Polk Cares 2020 Grant. https://www.polk-county.net/polk-cares-2020 This is for $2,000 to assist with your rent/mortgage, utilities or food. This online application has been simplified. You will need your Florida ID and proof of loss (letter from your...
Lake Wales has long been known as "The Crown Jewel of the Ridge," but that didn't happen by accident. It took the efforts of Edward Bok and Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. While many are familiar with Bok, the name of Olmsted, arguably the more significant historic figure, is an enigma. It was Olmsted who designed Bok's famous gardens, as well as Mountain Lake, and scores of private landscapes there. It was Olmsted who designed the Colony House, and our familiar Town Clock. And it...
Lake Wales Assistant City Manager Kathy Bangley resigned Thursday morning June 18, effective immediately. She quit less than a week after Interim City Manager James Slaton put her on a six-month probation for "poor performance and unprofessional behavior." A 14-year city employee, Bangley worked closely with and got superior evaluations from recently retired City Manager Ken Fields, who in October 2019 gave her a $2,612 raise and the title assistant city manager for planning...
City Commissioner Al Goldstein is proposing that the city fund a "Lake Wales Black Music and Cultural Center" on Lincoln Avenue. He brought it up at the end of the June 16 commission meeting, and plans to talk more about it during the July budget workshop. "Why music? Because Blacks are famous in music," Goldstein said, noting Elvis Presley was greatly influenced by Black musicians and Black gospel music. Goldstein said Black children often have low self-esteem and that creati...
Lake Wales Charter Schools officials have selected a contractor to do phase one and phase two work this summer in getting the new Bok North Academy campus ready for opening this fall. Whitehead Construction has been awarded the contract that includes converting the former Boys and Girls club building into classroom space, and potential renovation and updating work on the old cafeteria building at the historic 1919 Building site, which the charter system purchased from the...
A portion of Alligator Alley and all of Marsh Rabbit Run at Circle B Bar Reserve has been closed until further notice due to alligator nesting season. Alligators often become territorial and protective of their nests and young during this time of year. The trail closure is to protect wildlife and keep people safe during nesting season. Visitors can still access the dock on Lake Hancock by hiking the Shady Oak trail to Alligator Alley. Signs are posted at the beginning of the...
The Polk County Sheriff's Office arrested a 19-year-old Lake Wales man on Tuesday, June 16 after an investigation showed that he manipulated, threatened, and extorted a 10-year-old girl into sending him nude images of herself. Simon "Pete" Anderson is accused of using the social-media platform Facebook to communicate with the victim, and he admitted to knowing the girl's age. The investigation began on April 30 when a parent of another child was told that Anderson was sending...
A blue-ribbon committee of residents will spend the next few months reviewing the Lake Wales charter – the document that details how the city is governed – with an eye towards putting any suggested changes in front of voters next spring. The five-person group will conduct all its meetings publicly, and ultimately can only suggest changes. Those suggestions are then considered by the current city commission, and then go on the ballot if they give them a thumbs up. The com...
After nearly eight years chasing bad guys and sniffing out drugs, Lake Wales Police K9 Badge is hanging up his collar. After his retirement, the Belgian Malinois is transitioning from working dog to family pet in the home of his handler, Officer Dale Hampton. Badge basked in the attention at his retirement party Friday, June 19, playing with his stuffed toys and accepting "good boys" from about 50 people who came out to wish him well. The partygoers got to take home a special...
Betty Glee Commet, 87, of Lake Wales passed away Tuesday, June 16, 2020 at The Lake of Clermont. She was born July 12, 1932 in Maquoketa, IA, to the late George and Ella Brown. She has been a resident of Lake Wales since 1976. Betty was a homemaker and a member Holy Spirit Catholic Church. Betty was preceded in death by her husband, Glen A. Commet in 2011. Survivors include her sons, Keith M. Bean and wife Diane of Terre Haute, IN, Brent A. Bean and wife Jennifer of Sawyer, MI, and Duane M. Commet and wife Nancy of...
Mark R. Hewitt, 68, of Babson Park was born December 29, 1951, in Miami to the late Hewell and Vernice Hewitt. Mark was recruited out of Miami Norland in 1969 to play football for the University of Florida. After graduation, he began coaching in Houston, TX at MacArthur High School in Aldine Independent School District where he coached football and baseball as well as taught history for seven years. He moved to Alamo Heights High School in San Antonio, TX in 1983 where he taught and coached for 23 years. He was very proud to...
"...there's magic in my eyes. I can see for miles and miles and miles and miles." Song: "I Can See for Miles," The Who, 1967, (Pete Townsend) Album: The Who Sell Out Marty and Linda's '57 Chevy finally was pried from his garage and is now on consignment at Streetside Classics in Lutz near Wesley Chapel. We're hoping that it will sell and relocate to a new owner's garage before the 90-day exclusive contract he signed last Tuesday expires. From the looks of Streetside's...
Jerry J. Williams aka "Jerry Boy", 73 of Lake Wales, died at Advent Health South Hospital in Orlando on June 21, 2020. He was born Jan. 1, 1947. Services are incomplete. Epps Memorial Funeral Home in Lake Wales is handling arrangements....
