Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
Sorted by date Results 726 - 750 of 1226
When the Lake Wales City Commission on Feb. 16 approved a pilot program to purchase eight police worn body cameras, Mayor Eugene Fultz predicted that eventually every officer would wear one. Now less than three months later commissioners may be moving forward with full implementation. City Manager James Slaton is recommending the purchase of 24 additional body cameras for a total of 32, which would make them available to all officers who regularly interact with the public....
Lake Wales area pastors invite the public to gather at noon Thursday, May 6 for the annual National Day of Prayer observance. The event will take place outside in the breezeway of the city administration building at 201 W. Central Ave. This year's theme is "Lord, Pour Out Your Love, Life, and Liberty." It is based on the Bible verse 2 Corinthians 3:17, which says "Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." The featured speaker offering a brief devotional will be Col....
Edith Blanche Anderson, 95, of Indian Lake Estates passed away Thursday, April 29, 2021 at Grace Healthcare in Lake Wales. She was born July 22, 1925 in Jennings to the late Allen and Susie Gill; she moved to Indian Lake Estates from Hollywood 14 years ago. Edith was a retired CNA from Lake Wales Hospital and was of the Protestant faith. Edith was preceded in death by her first husband, Rufus Phillips; second husband, James Anderson; daughter, Susan Nelson; and son, Rufus Phillips, Jr. She is survived by her daughter, Edith...
Lake Wales Main Street's most recent mural project at Scenic Highway and Stuart Avenue called "Slice of Happiness" is about to get a whole lot happier. With a new full-time horticulturist hired by the city, Lester Gulledge is making one of his first priorities the beautification of the area around the nearly 100-foot long mural that was completed by artist Gillian Fazio late last fall. "If you go out there right now, you're going to see some piles of debris and dirt. That...
The City of Lake Wales now has a Building Division Contractor online portal. This can be accessed through City Website on the Building Division Landing Page ( https://www.lakewalesfl.gov/241/Building-Division ) or direct by using the following link. http://secure.lakewalesfl.gov/permits/ The purpose of this is for Building Permits. The portal allows contractors registered with the City of Lake Wales Building Division to register for an online account to be able to view the...
Sandy Dent never gave up hope, and after more than nine months her missing chihuahua, Valdez, is finally home. Dent regularly checked lost pet sites and posted photos on social media, hoping someone would recognize Valdez, who ran off last July 4 after being frightened by fireworks. As it turns out, Valdez has been well cared for by three different women and even added three pounds to his former 9-pound frame. "I said I would not give up, and I didn't," Dent said. "This is...
The Water Department will be flow testing all fire hydrants in the City of Lake Wales starting on Tuesday, April 27. Two technicians will be performing the work. It will continue until the city completes flow testing for all city fire hydrants. This could take approximately 3 months to flush all hydrants. Customers who experience brown water are encouraged to flush the plumbing for 5-10 minutes to clear any brown water issues....
The Ranch Taproom and Coffeehouse in downtown Lake Wales officially opened April 16 with enthusiastic crowds and rave social media reviews. Owners Jessica Garrett and her mother, Cathy Becton Garrett, were pleased with the successful opening. "Opening weekend was incredible and the support we received from the city, Mainstreet and the community was greatly appreciated," Garrett said. "Being Lake Wales natives we are excited to be a part of downtown. We look forward to being a...
Dr. Debra Wright-Hudson is on a mission. The acting principal of McLaughlin Middle School & Fine Arts Academy is reaching out to the Lake Wales community to share the good news about her students' success. Like the school's phoenix mascot, McLaughlin has spent the last two years rising from the ashes of an F-rating from the state. Wright-Hudson said she expects the school to soon achieve at least a C rating, and possibly be in reach of a B, while striving for an A grade....
Music, food, vendors, a ceremonial tree planting, informational booths and a mayor's proclamation will all be part of a special family event planned for Friday, April 30, when Lake Wales will become one of hundreds of cities nationwide marking Arbor Day 2021. The event will run from 5-7 that evening. Lake Wales Heritage will join with the Lake Wales Woman's Club, The Family Literacy Academy, and Rotary on the Ridge to sponsor the free Friday evening festival along the city's...
City commissioners at their April 20 meeting consented to Mayor Eugene Fultz's appointment of Marcus Kirby to the Lake Wales Charter School Trustees. Kirby is transitional housing coordinator for the Lake Wales Care Center and a part-time associate pastor of High Point Church. He served in the U.S. Navy for six years and has lived in Lake Wales for 15 years. Commissioner Terrye Howell challenged Fultz's contention that he didn't need to seek input from commissioners or offer t...
Despite a recent change to the City Charter requiring more input from city commissioners on appointments, Mayor Eugene Fultz did not involve them and is bringing forth only one name for an opening on the Lake Wales Charter Schools Board of Trustees. In an exchange at the end of an April 14 commission workshop, Fultz told commissioners the charter trustee position was “my spot” and he alone had the authority to choose. Commissioners could then vote to accept or reject his app...
Collaboration between different city departments is a daily occurrence at Lake Wales City Hall. But one of the more unique partnerships help show the good side of Lake Wales and is an important tool in putting bad guys behind bars. A city police drone is one of the latest tool's in the department's crime fighting tool kit. But part of the purchase price was covered by the Lake Wales Community Redevelopment Agency, which uses the drone to provide aerial video of projects like...
Still stinging from his April 6 defeat by just 32 votes, Lake Wales City Commissioner Al Goldstein came out swinging the next morning – citing racism as a primary factor in his loss and suggesting the city is "on the cusp of destruction." Goldstein said he is not convinced his successful opponent, Kris Fitzgerald, will be a good commissioner and said she won on the coattails of Daniel Williams, who defeated Ricardo Navarro for Seat 2 by 15 votes. Goldstein said in two years h...
Lake Wales voters April 6 approved by wide margins, ranging from 82 to 92 percent, all seven proposed changes to the City Charter. City commissioners appointed a Charter Review Committee, which studied the issues, got public input and recommended seven changes to city's governing document. AMENDMENT 1 - MISSION STATEMENT: More than 88 percent of the voters approved adding the following mission statement to the city charter, by a vote of 1,662 to 218: The mission of the City...
Lake Wales voters will consider seven proposed changes to the city Charter when they go to the polls for the April 6 municipal election. City commissioners approved placing all seven on the ballot. The mayor and commissioners each appointed one member of the Charter Review Committee, which had been meeting every two weeks since July 16. Members include: attorneys Sara Jones, Keith Wadsworth and Jim Weaver, and college administrator Andy Oguntola. The Committee chairperson is...
Editor's Note: More analysis of the city election will be included in future stories. In the closest races in recent history, Daniel Williams and Kris Fitzgerald won election to the Lake Wales City Commission Tuesday, April 6. Fitzgerald beat incumbent Al Goldstein by 32 votes, and Williams bested Ricardo Navarro by just 15 votes. Williams was one vote ahead of Navarro when the in-person vote tallies came in, but pulled further ahead when vote by mail ballots were added....
Voters in the Tuesday, April 6 Lake Wales municipal election may look up their polling location at PolkElections.com. "Polling locations may be different for city elections, so it's a good idea to double check before heading to the polls," said Lori Edwards, Polk County's Supervisor of Elections. The two Lake Wales locations are the Lake Ashton Clubhouse and the James P. Austin Community Center. Voters may click on "Voter Lookup" at PolkElections.com to find their polling...
Editor's Note: Candidates for City Commission were asked to complete a questionnaire. Their responses are being printed as submitted. Kris T.Y. Fitzgerald Lake Wales City Commission Seat 4 Candidate AGE: 40 OCCUPATION: Senior Administrator at The Vanguard School-Director of Residential Life/License Mental Health Counselor. Qualified Supervisor for LMHCs. YEARS LIVING IN LAKE WALES: Born and raised in Lake Wales. I only moved away for brief periods of time while in the USAF...
A team of law enforcement experts from the Center for Public Safety Management will conduct a full analysis of the Lake Wales Police Department to recommend improvements. The city will pay $45,550 to the center, which is affiliated with the International City/County Manager Association. City Manager James Slaton said the top-to-bottom assessment will result in an action list of improvements. According to the agreement for a comprehensive analysis of law enforcement services...
Lake Wales City Commissioners have adopted a new incentive program to encourage redevelopment or restoration of distressed properties. Commissioners earlier this month approved a memorandum of understanding that can be used as a framework for future redevelopment agreements. The program would allow redevelopers access to funds they provided to purchase publicly owned properties or to pay off code enforcement liens. Instead of the city keeping or spending the funds, the...
The Lake Wales Public Library's Intelligent Locker System is up and running. Located outside at the library's main entrance, the locker system is connected to the library network and allows customers access to safely pick up the books, movies and audio books they've placed on hold 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The City Commission in November approved using $25,950 in library impact fees to purchase the 20-locker system. After the purchase the city still had about $290,000...
Editor's Note: Candidates for City Commission were asked to complete a questionnaire. Their responses are being printed as submitted. Daniel Williams Lake Wales City Commission Seat 2 Candidate Hello my name is Daniel Williams, I'm 47 years old an a native of Lake Wales, Florida. I graduated from Lake Wales High School in 1991 and went on to attend Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, TN. I graduated from "The Peay" in 1996 with a double major in Political Science and...
Editor's Note: Candidates for City Commission were asked to complete a questionnaire. Their responses are being printed as submitted. Dr. Ricardo Navarro Lake Wales City Commission Seat 2 Candidate Age: 33 years old Occupation: • Internal Medicine Physician. • Owner and President of Navarro Medical. • Medical Director for the Hospitalist Medicine program at Advent Health Lake Wales • Consulting Physician for Vitas Healthcare Years Living in Lake Wales : Twenty-seven (27) ye...
Editor's Note: Candidates for City Commission were asked to complete a questionnaire. Their responses are being printed as submitted. Al Goldstein Lake Wales City Commission Seat 4 Incumbent OCCUPATION: Retired YEARS LIVING IN LAKE WALES: 8 COMMUNITY SERVICE: Former President of Lake Ashton Republican Club., Former Vice Chairman of Polk Republican Executive Committee EXPERIENCE SERVING ON BOARDS: Lake Wales representative to the PRWC Polk Regional Water Cooperative, Lake Wales...
