Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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In Law School, one of the first things we learn is why our U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights (the first ten Constitutional Amendments ratified in 1791) is critical to the United States. The First Amendment to our U.S. Constitution guarantees Freedom of the Press. This right was so important that it is in the First Amendment! Freedom of the Press is critical to our U.S. way of life; it plays a vital role in informing citizens about public affairs, monitoring the actions...
The four candidates in the April 7 Lake Wales City Commission election will answer questions and meet the public at a forum on Monday, March 16. The candidate forum is being sponsored by the Lake Wales Area Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Council, the Lake Wales Arts Council, Rotary on the Ridge and LakeWalesNews.net. Candidates will set up tables with campaign literature and meet informally with attendees during a reception starting at 5:30 p.m. in the Michael...
James Henry “Jimmy” Bolden, Jr., 56, of Lake Wales passed away Friday, March 6, 2020 at his residence surrounded by his loving family. He was born Oct. 20, 1963 in Lake Wales to James Henry Bolden Sr. and Linda Gail (Willis). Jimmy was a firefighter and EMT for the City of Lake Wales for seven years before becoming a lineman for Florida Power and an engineer for Duke and Progress Energy. Jimmy was a member of the First Baptist Church of Lake Wales. He was a lifetime vol...
A 61-year-old Lake Wales man died after being struck by a truck Tuesday night March 3 as he attempted to cross SR 60 on foot. George Hillis was airlifted to Lakeland Regional Health, where he succumbed to his injuries. Hillis was struck shortly before 7:50 p.m. by a 2015 Chevrolet Silverado driven by Jennifer Bews, a 40-year-old from Haines City. Bews was headed west on SR 60 in the inside lane near Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard when she struck Hillis. Police said Hillis...
In addition to his wife Jean, Robin Gibson has two major loves – the Lake Wales Charter Schools system he helped create and historic downtown, which he is committed to help redevelop. It was a tough choice, but Deputy Mayor Gibson announced at the March 3 city commission meeting he will give up his job as general counsel for the charter schools to avoid an ethical conflict. His resignation takes effect March 15. Gibson said the potential sale of the city's 1919 school p...
Lake Wales lost a special friend when Jerry Miller passed early in the morning of Feb. 24 after a lengthy battle with cancer. The community and government relations manager with what is now Duke Energy, Miller touched countless lives throughout Central Florida and left a lasting imprint. Faith, family, friends and service were Miller's top priorities. His smile, some might call it an impish grin, lit up a room, and he loved to dance. The 61-year-old Miller fought cancer...
Both Lake Wales city commission incumbents have drawn opposition for the upcoming municipal election Tuesday, April 7. Gregory Barnard Massey is challenging longtime Commissioner Terrye Howell for Seat 3. Massey has lived in Lake Wales for 15 years and regularly attends commission meetings, but this is his first run for public office. Howell has been a city commissioner since 2005, except for one year when the district boundaries changed and her new seat was not yet up for...
The GFWC Woman's Club of Lake Wales will participate in the General Federation of Women's Clubs (GFWC) efforts in Conservation. The GFWC Conservation Community Service Program encourages awareness of our natural resources and caring for the world around us. It offers information and ideas to promote environmental appreciation and protection. The Florida Federation of Women's Club, and particularly the Preservation Committee chairwoman May Mann Jennings, took a deep interest...
New features and patron events and more than 50 artists from around the world look to make the 49th Annual Citizens Bank & Trust Lake Wales Arts Festival Feb. 29 and March 1 the best one to date. Hosted by the Lake Wales Arts Council, the Festival will kick off with the 9th Annual Art-B-Que on The Shores of Lake Wailes, 33 N. Lakeshore Blvd., from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday February 28. The free-to-attend Arts Festival will continue on February 29 and March 1. Additions to the festiva...
Alice K. “Cathy” Heinzen, 85, of Lake Wales passed away Sunday, Feb. 23, 2020 at AdventHealth Lake Wales. She was born February 21, 1935 in New York City, NY to the late Daniel and Edith Sheehan; she came here 13 years ago from South Florida. She was the retired owner/operator of Black Knight Restaurant in New Paltz, NY and a member of the Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Lake Wales. She enjoyed puzzles, watching TV Land channel and MASH, and spending time with her family. Cathy was preceded in death by her husband, William O....
Dorothy Elizabeth (Stanley) Kenney, 92, of Lake Wales passed away Tuesday Feb. 18, 2020 at Bon Secours Manor in St Petersburg. She was born April 28, 1927 to the late Arthur Paul and Margaret Elizabeth (Molter) Stanley in Lake Wales. She was raised on Twin Lakes in Lake Wales where much of her life was influenced by water. She water-skied on barrow slats tied to her feet, learning to swim before she could walk. As a young woman she would ride her bicycle out to the local municipal airport where she took flying lessons and...
Dr. Diana Reigelsperger speak Thursday, Feb. 20 about Tavern Life in Colonial Florida - a time when American consumption of alcohol was at an all-time high, and early Temperance movement organizations arose. The free presentation begins at 6 p.m. in the city commission chambers at 201 W. Central Ave. in Lake Wales. Reigelsperger is an associate professor of history at Seminole State College in Sanford, FL Her research focuses on trade in colonial Spanish Florida, particularly...
When Lake Wales City Manager Ken Fields asked in February 2019 for a change to his retirement account contributions, City Commissioner Terrye Howell was happy to make the motion to approve it. After all, Fields stated that the fiscal impact for the year would be just 2.6 percent or about $3,560, an increase she felt was reasonable. It turns out the city's 2019 contribution of $51,490 to Fields' retirement accounts was actually about $14,500 more than 2018, and Howell is not...
In a split 3-2 vote the City of Lake Wales General Employee Pension Board agreed Friday Feb. 14 to recommend to the city commission that they allow employees to buy up to five years of service credit for their work for other governmental entities in Florida. Pension Board Member Sarah Kirkland, the city's utilities director, said she was prepared to vote "no" until Deputy Mayor Robin Gibson made the case that because of politics, especially in small towns, few city managers co...
The Lake Wales History Museum opened the major traveling exhibit, Spirited: Prohibition in America on Tuesday, Jan. 28. Organized by the National Constitution Center, Philadelphia, PA, in partnership with Mid-America Arts Alliance, Kansas City, MO, Spirited: Prohibition in America explores the era of Prohibition, when America went "dry." Visitors will learn about the complex issues that led America to adopt Prohibition through the 18th Amendment to the Constitution in 1919 unt...
Lake Wales city commissioners in their role as the Community Redevelopment Agency authorized the city manager to explore the possible sale of the 1919 school property to the Lake Wales Charter Schools to become the permanent home of Bok Academy North. But commissioners raised several issues they want resolved during negotiations. Deputy Mayor Robin Gibson left the room during the discussion to avoid any ethical conflict since he serves as legal counsel for the charter system....
Bruce R. Clark, 62, of Lake Wales passed away Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020 at the Winter Haven Hospital. He was born Dec. 23, 1957 in Detroit, MI; he moved here from Marine City, MI 14 years ago. He was a retired self-employed carpenter and attended the Saddlebag Community Church. He enjoyed hunting, golfing, writing short stories, music and song writing. He was a long time member of AA and celebrated 29 years of sobriety. Survivors include his daughters, Anna Clark of Winter Haven, Emma Gillespie and husband, Brett of Nampa, ID a...
Lake Wales City Manager Ken Fields is asking city commissioners, in their role as the city's Community Redevelopment Agency, to allow the Lake Wales Charter Schools to lease the old high school property off Seminole Avenue for one dollar for one year so they can proceed with plans to locate Bok Academy North there for the 2020-21 school year. The CRA meeting is set for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 18 at the city administration building, 201 W. Central Ave. The CRA agenda item asks...
Lake Wales City Manager Ken Fields is proposing two changes to the city's pension rules. One would enable him to get a lifetime city pension worth potentially more than $600,000 without completing the minimum 10 years of service with the city. The other change would create investment accounts for Police Chief Chris Velasquez and Fire Chief Joe Jenkins, whose retirement contributions have been stopped because they are the first two city employees to reach the $75,000 pension...
The Lake Wales Charter Schools are looking to breathe new life into the old high school complex by locating Bok Academy North on the site off Seminole Avenue. Charter Schools Superintendent Jesse Jackson said his staff is working with Lake Wales City Manager Ken Fields and may have a proposal for the city commission at their next meeting as the Community Redevelopment Agency Feb. 18. The charter schools approached the city two years ago asking for a donation of the school...
At the end of a tense, 3 ½ hour city commission workshop on community policing and the prospect of police wearing body cameras Lake Wales City Manager Ken Fields summarized his marching orders: Bring back a plan and budget for implementing body cameras and develop a better system for citizen complaints. Police Chief Chris Velasquez made a lengthy and detailed presentation citing his department's service-based community policing philosophy and commitment to building...
The regular municipal election for the City of Lake Wales will be held on Tuesday, April 7 to elect commissioners for Seats 3 and 5. Both incumbents, Terrye Howell in Seat 3 and Robin Gibson in Seat 5, say they plan to seek re-election. Howell has been a city commissioner since 2005, except for one year when the district boundaries changed and her new seat was not yet up for election. Gibson was first elected in 2016 and then re-elected without opposition in 2018. Voters last...
Lake Wales City Commissioners Feb. 4 approved lease and operating agreements to pave the way for purchasing the Lake Wales Family YMCA. Commissioners at their Jan. 20 meeting approved the purchase of the property for $565,000, but still had some contract language they wanted modified before proceeding. Deputy Mayor Robin Gibson, an attorney, helped revise the contracts with the YMCA of West Central Florida and said Tuesday he was satisfied. The city in December agreed to...
Billy Joe Barfield, 84, of Daleville, AL went to be with his Lord and Savior on Jan, 24, 2020. Billy Joe was born on Dec. 14, 1935 in Crisp County, Georgia to the late Benjamin and Alice Barfield. He was a longtime resident of Lake Wales, and moved to Arabi, GA in 1994, and then to Daleville, AL in 2014. Billy Joe was an avid Georgia Bulldog football fan. He was a retired installer/repairman for GTE. He was of the Baptist faith. Billy Joe was preceded in death by his parents,...
The president of the newly formed Lincoln Community Development Corporation is calling for Lake Wales police to start wearing body cameras to document interactions with suspects and the general public. Attorney Sara Jones said she also would like to see police get more training and make a stronger commitment to community policing to enhance relationships with citizens, especially in the northwest community. To discuss Jones' requests, city commissioners will hold a workshop...
