Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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Christmas in Lake Wales is a time of giving, blessings, wonders and delights. Lake Wales High School Interact members exemplified the spirit as they stuffed stockings for all 65 residents of the Lake Wales Health Care nursing facility with essentials and personal care items and delivered them to many isolated people, bringing a dose of healing holiday cheer. The Lake Wales Care Center team repaired and refurbished dozens of bicycles and gave them to disadvantaged children,...
For decades, medical researchers struggled to solve the mystery of how to reverse paralysis caused by serious spinal cord injuries. Finally, hope appears to be at hand. Five years ago, Codi Darnell, the daughter-in-law of Dr. Harold Punnett, a co-founder of NervGen, fell and became a complete T-11 paraplegic. Dr. Punnett discovered a revolutionary nerve regeneration technology in Dr. Jerry Silver's work at Case Western Reserve University which resulted in the formation of...
J.P. Williamson of Lake Wales passed away Tuesday, December 21, 2021 at Good Shepherd Hospice House in Sebring. He was born December 28, 1972 in Fort Lauderdale to the late Michael Williamson and Noel Trent; he moved to Lake Wales from Fort Lauderdale 34 years ago. J.P. was a meter reader for Tampa Electric. He enjoyed football, baseball, golfing, fishing, and spending time at the beach. He was active in the Lake Wales Little League by coaching, umpiring, and was on the Board...
In a long-awaited development, Lake Wales is slated to begin receiving direct fiber-optics residential Internet service beginning in 2022. Fiber optics uses light rather than electrical impulses to transmit data, resulting in much faster speeds and higher data volumes. The new infrastructure is expected to provide an economic boost to the city as more people seek to work from home. A multi-million-dollar investment by Frontier Communications will employ "a small army of...
Population growth on the US 27 corridor has led transportation planners to plot the future course of an "alternate" route that will parallel the busy inter-regional highway. The proposed limited-access toll expressway will thread its way around the west side of Lake Wales before crossing US 27 near the north city limits to run along the Ridge east of Dundee and Haines City. Planning maps released by the Polk Transportation Planning Organization, a multi-agency body which...
Clifton Williams, Jr., age 47, of Bartow, FL, died Saturday, December 18, 2021 in Melbourne, FL. He is survived by his Mother: Mary Louise Williams, Bartow, FL; Children: Telvin (CJ) Coles, Jacksonville, FL, Hitydria Dewitt, Cocoa, FL, Shantierra Boyd, Leesburg, FL, Latoria Williams, Bartow, FL; Brother: Anthony Bester, Tampa, FL; Sisters: Mary Ann Evans, Bartow, FL, Pearlie Williams, Lake Wales, FL, Mary Burchfield, Bartow, FL; and five Grand Children. Funeral service will...
A Walesbilt Hotel redevelopment project is "within 90 days of having a firm loan commitment," according to Michael H. Frost, president of Buena Vista Hospitality Group, Inc. (BVHG). Frost spoke to LakeWalesNews.Net shortly after learning that the Lake Wales City Commission will consider approving initiation of a lawsuit to attempt to regain title to the property this week. Frost's Buena Vista Hospitality Group is the same organization that completed the refurbishment of the...
Details of the pending redevelopment of the Walesbilt Hotel continue to emerge as members of the development team prepare to share plans with the City Commission at Tuesday's meeting. The long-awaited hotel project is seen as the lynchpin of downtown project being sparked by the Community Redevelopment Agency. The CRA has authorized the issuance of bonds up to $18.5 million to fund extensive reconstruction of downtown streets as part of the Lake Wales Connected plan. That...
Thomas "Tom" Small, age 71, passed away Wednesday, December 15, 2021. He was born May 14, 1950 in Bloomington, IL to Dwain & Marilyn Small. Tom's father was an educator and traveled around a lot. When Tom was around 10 years old, they lived in Carbondale, IL. It was there he was known as the Pinball Wizard. He would steal nickels from his mother purse and skip school to go to the local arcade where he played and beat high school and college students. Tom went to high school...
The long-delayed resolution of the contract between the City of Lake Wales, the Community Redevelopment Agency and Walesbilt Hotel owner Ray Brown may be heading to a concluding chapter. Brown had been granted title to the building more than a decade ago on an agreement to redevelop the structure. Tuesday's City Commission agenda will include consideration of whether the city should file a lawsuit or take other action to regain possession of the eleven-story structure after...
Christmas is a time for celebrating the season and a time for cutting down trees – and that holiday tradition sometimes leads to discussions about what's best for the environment: Is it greener to buy a real tree or a fake tree, or abstain altogether? UNH forest resources specialist Steven Roberge explained some of the factors he weighs in determining whether cutting a tree is an environmental boon or bust. The first caveat, according to Roberge: It's not as simple as you migh...
John Randolph "Randy" Peterson, Jr., age 72, passed away Saturday, December 18, 2021, at Good Shepherd Hospice in Auburndale. Born May 10, 1949, in Asheville, North Carolina, son of John R. Peterson, Sr. and Mary Virginia Duncan Peterson. Randy was a longtime resident of Bartow. He was a graduate of Summerlin Institute, class of 1967, and graduate of University of Florida, class of 1971. He was, along with his wife Ruth, owner of Peterson Cleaners for many years. He was a...
Marie Stibitz of Lake Wales passed away Friday, December 17, 2021. She was born on August 26, 1932, in Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania to the late Joseph and Ann Yavorsky. Marie worked in healthcare as a nurse, she enjoyed volunteering at the Hospital, loved to travel, and owned a cattle company with her late husband Vaughn Stibitz. She was a member of the Lake Wales Women's Club and the Garden Club as well as a member of the Moose Lodge, the American Legion and VFW Auxillaries....
Changing weather and unseasonable warmth has made the fishing a bit unpredictable this season, but there's still plenty of action if you know where to look. On big Lake Walk-in-water, specks are moving into the grass first thing in the morning and late in evening. Go after them with minnows and a slip bobber. Bass are starting to move up into shallow water. Key in on pads and reeds throwing a spinnerbait or a watermelon red senko. For Lake Hatchineha try drifting jigs and...
More than 20 acres of forest along the west side of Timberlane Road will become a single-family home subdivision over the objections of many neighbors after the Polk County Commission approved the plan this week. The Polk Planning Commission had unanimously approved the proposal last month. The 45-home plat will include 10-foot setbacks after many voiced opposition to the five-foot setbacks which Sloan Engineering Group had proposed. Minimum lot sizes in the development will...
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has directed staff to move forward with draft rules allowing for the production and sale of largemouth bass following discussion at its December meeting. Statutory changes made during the 2021 legislative session sanctioned the sale of Florida largemouth bass produced in aquaculture facilities for food. Staff worked with the legislature to incorporate genetic authentication standards into rule to ensure the continued...
Got a team of seniors who want to win a title? Or perhaps you're just feeling competitive yourself? Why not consider taking part in the Senior Games? The annual games are modeled after the Olympics and offer an opportunity to test your skills and stamina against others in your own age group. Polk Senior Games are an annual two-week series of Olympic-style sports and games for men and women 50 years of age and over, held at various locations throughout Polk County. The Senior...
