Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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Lake Wales residents Mike and Irene Spotswood produce Cup of Joe Radio show, a nationally- syndicated radio show aimed at veterans with "the healing power of music." The show is intended to ease the symptoms of post-traumatic stress syndrome, or PTSD, that continues to affect veterans who experienced the stresses and horrors of war. Mike, who is a Marine who did two tours in over the course of 20 months in Vietnam, and Irene, a former nurse, say their two-hour radio show has...
A third fire and EMS station to serve the fast-growing south side of Lake Wales will eventually occupy a prime corner spot following unanimous action by the Lake Wales City Commission. The five-acre future location at the southeast corner of Hunt Bros. Road and Nest Egg Road (South Ninth Street) will be purchased at a cost of $300,000, which Deputy Mayor Robin Gibson said initially gave him some pause, as the appraisal of the site showed a value of $100,000 less. Fire Chief...
The Lake Wales Police Department will soon be stronger and better-prepared for any emergency, thanks to either Drake or Eli, two Belgian Malinois dogs who represent a generous donation from Chad Landry, the owner of Patriot Canine Service of Plant City. Canine units have become an integral part of police work, and the Lake Wales department is no exception, relying upon the highly-trained dogs since 1997 for criminal apprehension, tracking missing persons and suspects,...
The much-anticipated grand opening of Ollies is happening Wednesday morning. Crowds are expected to visit in coming days, shopping and exploring the more than 20 different departments of the discount store. The new store will occupy a former Kash'n'Karry grocery store at 1340 SR 60 East that has remained vacant for more than two decades as the once-thriving center struggled to generate traffic. Ollies is a national chain of more than 500 stores featuring a changing line-up of...
Steven Lee Wolfson of Lake Wales passed away on Thursday, October 31, 2024 at AdventHealth Lake Wales. He was born June 18, 1952 in Lake Wales to the late Herbert and Rae Wolfson; he has been a lifelong resident of the area. Steven was a retired salesman and attended Temple Emmanuel in Lakeland. Steven was the mayor of Lake Wales from 1995 - 1996, a City Commissioner of Lake Wales from 1992-1996, and a member of the Lake Wales Chamber of Commerce in 1992. Steven is survived...
What do model railroad trains, lawn mowers, rare coins, and collectible art have in common? They will all be offered for sale this Saturday, November 2, along Scenic Highway. Thousands of bargain shoppers are expected to enjoy ideal conditions for browsing among the hundreds of booths that will line the route of the annual 39-mile Yard Sale. The event draws visitors from across the state and beyond to explore the arcane and sublime offerings brought to the sale by vendors...
Art teacher Brannan Lawson of Hillcrest Elementary School in Lake Wales has been named the 2024 Arts & Cultural Educator of the Year by the Polk Arts and Cultural Alliance. In partnership with the Lake Wales Arts Council, Lawson spearheaded the Creative Kids Market that creates opportunities for children to combine lessons in art making and entrepreneurship. "Brannan has been a fantastic arts educator in Lake Wales for ten years," Tommy Frank, executive director of the Lake...
An attractive renovation of the historic Crystal Lake Apartments was unveiled in Lake Wales Tuesday, showcasing a development which will contribute to ongoing efforts to increase residential uses in the city's downtown area. The two-story building at 282 East Park Avenue offers eight fully-remodeled one and two-bedroom apartments. Officers and directors of the Lake Wales Care Center hosted some 100 guests who toured the like-new facility and enjoyed refreshments following the...
Motorists traveling on city streets around Lake Wales will find the going much smoother as work progresses on an aggressive program of improvements being conducted under city contracts. Portions of 12 roadways are presently being resurfaced with either a cape seal or a double-micro slurry of liquid asphalt as part of the city's Pavement Management Program. Both processes are preservation treatments to extend the life of the roadways for several years, creating a smoother...
Lake Wales businessman and community leader Cliff Tonjes peacefully passed away Saturday, October 19, 2024 at his residence. While he was born and raised in Michigan, Cliff met and married his wife Carol in Niles, Michigan. They lived in Indiana where they raised three children before moving to Lake Wales in 1976. Cliff is best known in town for owning and operating True Value Hardware with Carol until a fire in 2003 destroyed their building. His son, Larry, later opened...
A tour of Lake Wales by an influential group of specialty builders may lead to interest in new "traditional neighborhood" housing in the area, according to organizers of the event. Several dozen members of the National Town Builders Association arrived by motorcoach to visit the area, with stops at Bok Tower Gardens, Lake Wailes Park, and a walking tour through the downtown area. The group was led by Victor Dover, principal of the planning firm of Dover, Kohl & Partners,...
The $11 million Park Avenue reconstruction project is entering its final phase with the reconstruction of the intersection of Scenic Highway with the important downtown street. The work will require the closure of Scenic Highway at that location for approximately 90 days, according to construction plans and officials. A statement issued by the City of Lake Wales says that the closure will begin Tuesday, October 22. Once this final phase in completed, the entire length of Park...
With the annual Pioneer Days festival only days away, the sponsoring Lake Wales History Museum has revealed Richard "Dick" Dane Howell as the 2024 Pioneer of the Year. "Mr. Howell's exceptional dedication to the Lake Wales community and his remarkable achievements truly define him as a pioneer and a worthy recipient of this prestigious award," said museum president Brandon Alvarado in revealing the selection, The honorific of "Pioneer of the Year" has been bestowed upon a...
Friday dawned as another day without power for thousands of residents of southeast Polk after the area after Hurricane Milton raked the area with 100 mile-per-hour winds and heavy rainfall before dawn Thursday. Shattered or uprooted trees, some punching holes in roofs, along with damage to signs, sheds, utilities and fences were visible across the area. Flooded roads and intersections delayed responses to the disaster, a common scene as hurricanes increase in both frequency...
The latest update from the National Hurricane Center in Miami has raised the stakes for a direct strike upon southeast Polk County and the Lake Wales area. Residents are strongly urged to rush preparations to completion. The 11 a.m. NHC report said that with sustained winds of 155 MPH, Hurricane Milton is continuing to approach Florida. Continued intensification is expected, and Milton should be at Category 5 this afternoon with sustained winds of 160 MPH or more, accompanied...
The Lake Wales market area will be losing yet another grocery option in November as the Winn-Dixie store on SR 60 East is closed to be converted to a second Aldi location. The move comes less than a year after the store was completely remodeled and updated with new products. The Lake Wales location is the latest to be converted to Aldi, and employees have been notified that they will be laid off effective November 17. Some of them had only recently been transferred to the...
The ongoing construction work on Park Avenue in downtown Lake Wales has had serious financial impacts on many businesses along the three-block stretch, but new assistance is being provided by the City of Lake Wales to help them survive the challenges. Restaurants, salons, and retail establishments dependent upon foot traffic are eligible to receive individual business-retention grants of $5,000 to help offset the disruptions they have faced. The Lake Wales city commission...
A new 30-day closure of West Park Avenue will begin this Monday, September 16 to allow construction crews to enhance the stormwater drainage system and remove and reinstall the brick pavers on Park Avenue between Wetmore Street to First Street, starting Monday, September 16th. The work will include modifying a drainage system design that proved inadequate during heavy rains earlier this year, while also addressing problems with pavers "crawling" out of alignment on the...
The City of Lake Wales is inviting you to learn to explore the underwater world with SCUBA. The entire certification course will be compressed into a single week and include instructions from certified instructors. SCUBA stands for "self-contained underwater breathing apparatus," an invention that has enabled humans to explore what had, throughout history, hidden and unavailable. Now Lake Wales Parks and Recreation is offering area residents a chance to engage in the sport....
Thousands of copies of a political tract containing what many would consider virulent anti-American propaganda have been delivered to the offices of the Lake Wales Charter Schools to potentially be distributed to students. Some 45,000 of the "patriotic" pamphlets were printed, intended for delivery to schools, according to information shared on a Facebook post by the City of Lake Wales. Among the materials they contain is an "essay" that paints a highly-dystopian picture of...
Construction of the first homes on the expansive Hunt Club North development is under way. Teams of masons are laying concrete blocks to raise the walls of the first homes along newly-constructed McKinley Drive in the subdivision on the near south side of Lake Wales. Hunt Club North will include a mixture of 600 townhomes and single family homes east of 11th Street and south of East Lake Plaza. The townhomes are planned for the northern part of the site closest to SR 60,...
A controversial high-density development involving Lake Wales Country Club and Oakwood that was nixed by city planners earlier this year is returning with new designs even as new information emerges about Falgun Dharia, the principal behind the project, who had introduced himself last year as Frank Ghandi. (See our stories below.) The new conceptual site development plan still combines the two golf courses but relies more heavily on single-family home sites. Many residents at...
Winter Haven attorney Jason Penrod, owner of Family Elder Law, was arrested this week on a charge of Grand Theft after confessing to a client that he had stolen from a trust fund. His firm was closed abruptly in July, leaving employees and clientele without explanations for weeks. Penrod subsequently filed a petition with the Florida Supreme Court acknowledging the misuse of client living trust funds and requesting the disciplinary revocation of his law license. That matter...
Several area construction projects continue to affect traffic circulation in southern and eastern Polk County. A four-block stretch of State Road 17 (Scenic Highway) remains closed in Lake Wales at Hillcrest Avenue, forcing traffic from the state road onto the city's 4th Street in front of McLaughlin Middle-High School adding to school-hour traffic and congestion there. The project, begun in June, was announced as a 30-day effort to correct drainage Issues adjacent to Lake...
Lake Wales will soon become the first community in Polk County to raise a "peace pole" in recognition of the International Day of Peace on September 21. The public is invited to a ceremony that will take place in the city's Memorial Garden in front of city hall on that Saturday morning, beginning at 10 a.m. The City of Lake Wales is joining local Rotary clubs in Polk, Hillsborough, Hardee and Highlands Counties in the international project, funding ten of the art-covered...
