Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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The Lake Wales Literacy Council is celebrating 30 years of service to the community Oct. 24 with a competitive WordPlay: Literacy in Action Dinner. The benefit event begins at 5:30 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church's Family Life Center, 16 N. 3rd Street, Lake Wales. Tickets are $20 per person, or an 8-person team is $140. Participants will work together in teams, tackling questions and challenges, in an effort to be "crowned" the champion of 2019 WordPlay: Literacy in...
To rock or not to rock. That is the question. I wish I could say I vividly recall my grandma knitting in her rocking chair as a prominent childhood memory. But I can't. Neither of my grandmothers knitted, and neither one rocked. Or did they? Chances are pretty good they actually did rock because for hundreds of years rocking chairs were considered "the most popular furniture," according to wallswithstories.com. Nearly everyone had one; nursery, glider, spring, swivel,...
Lake Wales Police need help in identifying a suspect caught on video carting a $1,500 Shih-Tzu puppy out of a pet store at Eagle Ridge Mall. Furbabies Pet Store reported the theft about 5:35 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 30. The black and white puppy, which is microchipped, was in a display crib. Surveillance video shows the suspect picking up the puppy, placing it in a bag from another store and exiting without paying. Anyone who knows the identity of the suspect or the whereabouts...
Henesi Damian Torres, one month old, died Nov. 5, 2019 at Winter Haven Hospital. He was born October 01, 2019. Services are incomplete. Epps Memorial Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements....
Sellers and buyers alike have a special opportunity to enjoy the beauty of the Ridge Scenic Highway Scenic corridor Saturday, Nov. 2 while hunting for bargains along the 39-Mile Scenic Highway Yard Sale. The Lake Wales History Museum at 325 S. Scenic Highway is one of seven official locations, hosting 30 booths along with music and food. Tables will line the Scenic Highway from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Other official locations are the Lake of the Hills Community Clubhouse, Krewe of...
Tommy Brunson, Jr., 78, of Lake Wales died Nov. 2 at home. He was born March 23, 1941. Services are incomplete. Epps Memorial Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements....
McLaughlin Middle & Fine Arts Academy is looking for volunteers to serve on a Community Assessment Team to help the school access local resources to improve student achievement. The public is invited to attend the first team meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5 at McLaughlin, located at 800 S. 4th St. in Lake Wales. The Florida Department of Education requires its designated "turnaround schools" to form the teams. Community Assessment Teams are comprised of parents, educators, lo...
What's better than hiring a good young teacher? How about finding a good, young, homegrown teacher? That's the goal of a new affiliation between the University of Central Florida and the Lake Wales Charter Schools aimed at creating a steady pipeline of local teaching talent available for hire at any of the system's seven schools. "It's a win-win situation for our students who are interested in pursing a career in education, and the charter system to have a readily available...
The new Little Silver Streak Academy at Janie Howard Wilson Elementary is giving 20 young students an early leg up on their educational journey this fall at Janie Howard Wilson Elementary School in Lake Wales. The full day pre-K program includes traditional components like outside play time, work on social skills, and breakfast and lunch every school day. But it adds a hefty classroom component as well, with a computer and listening station, and small group instruction in scie...
McLaughlin Middle and Fine Arts Academy in Lake Wales is looking for community leaders to participate in the 2019 Great American Teach In Wednesday, Nov 6. The annual event provides local leaders with the opportunity to share their career, hobbies, experiences and civic involvement with McLaughlin students. The Teach-in is coordinated by the pubic relations department of the Polk County Public Schools and is celebrated in conjunction with American Education Week. Presenters ca...
Terri Lee Buchanan, 54, of Lake Wales passed away Monday, Oct. 28, 2019 at her residence. She was born April 27, 1965 in Lexington, KY to the late Robert C. and Betty R. (Pennington) Smith. She has been a resident of the area for 27 years coming from Richmond, VA. She was a homemaker and member of Truth Tabernacle Church in Lake Wales. She was the church Secretary. She loved animals, doodling, cooking for her family, family times and her grandbabies. She is preceded in death...
Richard A. Ballou, 94, formerly of Newark Valley, NY passed away Monday, Oct. 28, 2019 at Groves Center in Lake Wales following a brief illness. Richard was born April 4, 1925 in Endicott, NY to Arland and Ruth Baldwin Ballou. He was predeceased by his wife of 29 years, Anna Ballou, daughter Marsha Ballou Holst, and stepdaughter Jane Kobylarz. Richard is survived by his daughter Susan (Ken) Ballou Wiles of Lake Wales, son-in law Carl (Jackie) Holst of NJ, grandchildren Ben (Katie) Wiles of Lake Wales, Patrick Wiles of Tampa,...
The Polk Regional Water Cooperative (PRWC) has been invited by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to apply for a federal loan to fund the first two projects in a regional, alternative water supply program. If successful, the PRWC could qualify for as much as $235 million towards capital infrastructure costs. The loan program, established by the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) of 2014, is a federal loan guarantee program administered by the EPA....
Central Florida's Visitor Information Center (CFVIC) will host a Fall Harvest Festival on Saturday, Nov. 2. This FREE, family-friendly event will take place from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. with games, prizes, face painting, a balloon artist and Pumpkin Patch area when guests can take photos and selfies. Costumes are welcome so the kids can continue their trick-or-treating into November. Various local vendors will be on hand, selling food, treats and gifts, including handmade...
"Corvette" was an old term used to describe small warships that were first used in the 1670s by the French Navy. How it ended up the name for the model destined to become the fifth longest running automobile ever produced, sandwiched between the Toyota Land Cruiser (1951) and Mercedes SL (1954), is the subject for another column. In case you wondered, the Chevrolet Suburban, still in production, which made the scene in 1933, is the oldest auto in production today. Because spor...
Florida Polytechnic University will soon have a new simulation facility on campus dedicated to the testing and verification of autonomous vehicle technology in real-time. The National Science Foundation awarded the University a $350,000 grant that enables the development of a large-scale Hardware-in-the-Loop (HiL) simulation facility for connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs). HiL is a type of real-time simulation that serves as a gateway for the development and testing of...
The Green & Gold Foundation will host a Black & Gold Gala to raise funds to support the B Street Community Center. The Gala will include an enjoyable evening of dinner and music from 6-9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2 at the Lake Ashton Ballroom. Tickets are $65 each or $500 for a VIP table of eight. Tickets or sponsorships can be purchased online at www.bstreetcommunitycenter.org. Sponsors also are needed for the event. Sponsor levels are: $150 for Sparkle, which includes one gala tic...
Nowadays, the drug world is far more dangerous. Addicts now have to be cautious about buying fake pills that look exactly like the ones you get at your local pharmacy. They might think they are buying a Xanax, Oxycodone, or maybe an Adderall even. But in reality, they are buying something that is deadly. Dealers are mixing concoctions and pressing them with a little machine to make something that they think will be way more addicting and less costly. They are putting fentanyl...
The Aerospace Center for Excellence (ACE) in Lakeland is holding a contest to design the graphics and paint scheme for a modified Zenith 750, which will be named the "Spirit of Lakeland." ACE is partnering with Able Flight, a unique organization that shares a similar belief that learning to fly is a life changing experience. This partnership will enable those with physical disabilities an opportunity to earn their Light Sport Pilot Certificate in a customized aircraft that...
Paul Laverne Jones, 50 of Lake Wales, died Oct. 16 at Lakeland Regional Health Hospital in Lakeland, FL. He was born March 22, 1969. Services are incomplete. Epps Memorial Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements....
Godfrey W. “Jeff” Schroeder, 88, of Lake Wales passed away Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2019 at Advent Health Orlando. He was born July 18, 1931 in Centralia, IL to the late Dr. Frederick and Ruth Schroeder. He was a retired dentist, of the Protestant faith and served in the U.S. Army. Survivors include his wife, Delores “De De” Schroeder; daughter, Linda Schroeder of Ocala; son, Todd Schroeder of St. Louis, MO; brother, Dr. F. William Schroeder of Bradenton; and one grandchild. No services are scheduled at this time. In lieu of flow...
An unofficial advisory committee working toward redevelopment of the city's northwest section is now incorporating as the Lincoln Community Development Corporation. On the heels of the City adopting a Northwest redevelopment plan, recommended by urban planners Dover Kohl and Partners, Lake Wales attorney Sara Jones is organizing the group to help ensure the plan's successful implementation. "Organization and community input are vital to the success of the redevelopment plan...
Lake Wales is home to attorney Flora "Tonya" Stewart where she lives with her husband, Sam, and three children ages 3, 8 and 10. But she works here, too, and operates Tonya Stewart Law, P.A. from an office located at her 1924 downtown building purchased in 2017 at 229 E. Park Ave. in Lake Wales. She also has an office in West Polk County at 1102 Florida Ave. S., Lakeland. Her phone number is 863-279-4473. Why use Stewart and her law firm? She says she is a "compassionate...
Downtowns are the heart of a town. To devote time, money, energy and dedication to a city's downtown is to embrace its essence. Therefore, it was with great enthusiasm that we at the Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Council asked the city and the business community to fully endorse the Lake Wales Connected plan to revitalize downtown and the Northwest. Our team from the Chamber/EDC had a large contingent in attendance on Oct. 1, when the Lake Wales Community...
On the heels of his promotion to Lake Wales deputy city manager, James Slaton has completed a prestigious and intensive two-year leadership program conducted by the International City Managers Association. Slaton was in a class of 15 municipal government leaders who graduated from the ICMA program Oct. 23 at the organization's annual conference in Nashville. He became one of only 180 city officials to complete the program since its inception 12 years ago. "This was truly a...
