Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
Sorted by date Results 151 - 175 of 710
Women Who Made History on the Ridge was the theme of three awards granted by the Laker Wales chapter of the American Association of University Women this week. Dr. Glenda Morgan and two former mayors of Lake Wales, Linda Kimbrough and Kathy Manry Smith, were honored for their years of contributions to the community at a luncheon at the Good Shepherd Church March 12. Each of the three was introduced by Lake Wales City Clerk Jennifer Nanek, who included personal anecdotes of...
City Commissioner Daniel Williams has won a new three-year term after escaping a strong challenge by political newcomer Brandon Alvarado by a four vote margin, leaving Williams reelected with 42.3 percent of the votes cast. A third candidate, Crystal Higbee, took 347 votes. Following a machine recount and a manual recount of "outstacked" ballots, the final margin of William's win was 943 to 939. Alvarado conceded defeat immediately after the conclusion of the recount, and...
Four voters who had provided incomplete information when voting on election day were able to "cure" their ballots through contact with the Supervisor of Elections ahead of Thursday's canvassing board meeting. Their effort has moved the needle in the District 2 city commission election between incumbent commissioner Daniel Williams and challenger Brandon Alvarado, but not enough to avoid a machine recount, which will take place today (Friday, April 5). The canvassing board,...
A grant application for the "Complete Streets redesign of remaining portions of 1st Street, Central Avenue, and Lincoln Avenue" has been given a high probability of success by a grant consultant working for the City of Lake Wales. The application seeks 100 percent funding for the redesign and reconstruction of most of First Street North, Lincoln Avenue, and single blocks of Central Avenue and A Street. The total project costs included in the application are $22,930,000, which...
UPDATE: Only days after this story was published, the decision was reversed, resulting in a second story which can be read here. Issues of nepotism, favoritism, and a lack of transparency are apparently behind the future replacement of Lake Wales Police Chief Chris Velasquez, who was informed Monday of a three-day suspension and eventual replacement by City Manager James Slaton. The action follows a complaint filed by the Poor and Minority Justice Association early this year a...
Downtown Lake Wales was a "happening scene" Friday as the sounds of the south Florida-based "The JamBand" filled the air as they performed from a special stage in Linear Park. The event drew a large crowd on a beautiful spring evening who danced, clapped along, and sometimes sang with the band. Numerous vendors and a food truck catered to the crowd. The free performance was another installation of "Lake Wales Live," a six-performance series intended to help bring more...
The end of the federal Emergency Rental Assistance Program means that lots of Polk County families have lost a lifeline that has allowed them to remain housed through the difficult times of the pandemic. Unfortunately, the huge demand for housing locally and across Florida has driven home prices sharply higher, leaving many of those struggling families facing bleak choices. Since it's July 2021 launch, Polk County's Emergency Rental Assistance Program helped more than 5,000...
A 14-person attempt at formation skydiving in Lake Wales Monday afternoon left two skydivers with life-threatening injuries. Witnesses said that at least one parachute appeared to become tangled and failed to fully open. Two women in the group made hard landings, sustaining injuries that required them to be airlifted to a trauma center. According to witnesses, one skydiver came down at the intersection of North Scenic Highway and Wiltshire Avenue. Witnesses immediately began...
A population boom is expected in Lake Wales in coming months and years as design work or construction is advancing for at least 40 projects within the city limits, in addition to others outside the city. A LakeWalesNews.net calculation shows a total of more than 15,660 new residential units have already met some level of approval by the city commission, with many having already received final plat approval for construction, even as other projects are nearing completion. If the...
As part of the city's ongoing effort to resurface streets in the city, contractors will begin paving operations on four city streets this week. Crews will begin resurfacing portions of the select roadways starting February 27 as part of the pavement management program. The five-year program is funded at a level of $500,000 annually, but was suspended for one of the years of the program. Yarnell Avenue, Frontage Road, Cohasset Avenue and Hillcrest Drive are included in this rou...
BARTOW - A Circuit Court ruling Thursday has set the stage for reverting ownership of the historic Walesbilt Hotel in Lake Wales back to the city, ending a years-long legal battle for control of the 10-story building. Circuit Judge William T. Sites ruled that the current owner, Dixie-Walesbilt LLC's Raymond Brown, fraudulently induced the city into contracting with him to redevelop the property, and ultimately to sign the deed over to Brown, according to the ruling. The...
Despite a significant ruling in favor of the city, the future of the Walesbilt Hotel still hangs in the balance of an active lawsuit, Deputy Mayor Robin Gibson told the city commission during the boards' regular meeting Tuesday night. The ten-story boom-era hotel, constructed in 1926, is the dominant feature of the city's downtown and has been a topic of discussion by the commission for more than a decade. It has remained vacant since 1996. In a 33-minute presentation at...
Three challengers seeking two seat on the Lake Wales City Commission held the stage at a Monday evening candidates forum after both incumbents failed to show up for the 90-minute event. The election is four weeks away, slated for Tuesday, April 2. Carol Gillespie, seeking seat 4 on the five-person commission, along with Brandon Alvarado and Crystal Higbee, both seeking seat 2, shared their ideas and responded to questions from the audience at the forum sponsored by the...
Ideal weather conditions and a wide area of beautiful works of art are expected to draw residents and visitors alike to the shores of Lake Wailes this weekend as the 53rd annual Lake Wales Arts Festival take place in Lake Wailes Park. The show will be open from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Saturday, and from 10: a.m. until 4 p.m. on Sunday. Seventy artists have been accepted into the juried showing hosted by the Lake Wales Arts Council and will offer an array of media and...
Business owners lined up at the beginning of the Lake Wales City Commission meeting Tuesday evening to explain to commissioners the various ways they are working to enhance the Lake Wales economy and the Northwest Neighborhood. They joined Florida Development Corp, Inc. COO Derrick Blue and CEO Frank Cornier after a special presentation period was added to the commission agenda. FDC operates the BizLINC business incubator under a $1.2 million contract with the City of Lake...
A development proposal adjacent to Lake Alta on the near north side of Lake Wales has been modified by the developer in an apparent attempt to reach a compromise with neighboring residents. Growth Management Division Director Autumn Cochella attended a Community Redevelopment Agency meeting this week to explain to commissioners that developer J. Walter Homes will bring a new proposal back to the city's Planning and Zoning Board at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 27, calling...
In an effort to help address the need for transportation around the downtown area, City Manager James Slaton and staff have brought another solution forward. The "Squeeze" is an eight-passenger open vehicle which has already proven successful in downtown Lakeland, according to Erin Killebrew, who presented the concept during a special presentation to the Community Redevelopment Agency board. The proposal would provide the vehicle as a free service to riders needing to move...
The two-and-a-half weeks of the 40th annual Lake Wales Mardi Gras festivities are rapidly approaching their climax as hundreds of "krewe" members prepare for the combined parade on Saturday, February 10. The series of masquerade parties and musical events mark the days of the pre-Lenten "Carnival" season here. Last week's kickoff party, hosted by the Krewe Renaissance, will be followed by the Saturday, Feb. 3 Blacklight Ball sponsored by the Loyal Order of Wild Shiners....
A documentary film about the creation of the Lake Wales Envisioned planning process has been selected for screening at the annual Redfish festival in Panama City, FL. The film, produced by Lee Dover of the Dover, Kohl & Partners planning film, is a recap of the effort and results of the six-month community-wide effort that resulted in a "roadmap" that may help prevent sprawling residential developments from overwhelming the city in the future. Numerous local residents and...
If you're planning to be out and about this week, you may want to "hold on to your hat" as another round of windy weather will follow bands of rain expected to begin on Sunday and continue into Monday evening. According to forecasters from the National Weather Service, an "anomalous" or unusually-strong low pressure system will move over Florida from the Gulf of Mexico during that period, creating the possibility of more strong thunderstorms. Widespread rain and showers are...
A sharp-eyed young patient at a local physical therapy clinic spotted an active camera in an area she was using to change clothing, resulting in an investigation that led to the arrest of the doctor operating the clinic. Dr. Plla Gayed, 38, of Crosston Circle in Orlando, operates the AVA Rehabilitation Clinic at 1342 SR 60 East in Lake Wales. An affidavit filed by the Lake Wales Police Department led to the issuance of a search warrant that produced video evidence suggesting t...
While the ribbon-cutting and dedication of the newly reconstructed portions of Park Avenue and First Street remains in the planning stage, the newly-completed stretches of West Park Avenue and North First Street are now open to two-way traffic. The opening comes concurrent with the closure of the eastern portion of Park Avenue, a situation expected to last most of the year as the pavement is removed, utilities upgraded, and new sidewalks and brick streets are installed. Shoppe...
After weeks of rainy weather, accompanied by wild swings in temperature, a more stable near-term outlook is becoming established for Florida and most of the southern United States. A series of Pacific high-pressure systems are expected to replace the parade of arctic air masses that put much of the nation, and central Florida, under below-normal temperatures in recent days. Although we escaped freezing temperatures on the Ridge, residents are ready for a warm-up, and that's wh...
Area residents now have an opportunity to join their friends and neighbors on a "Slow Roll" thanks to the efforts of Care Center employees Dwayne Goldman and Chris Kinson. The duo run one of Lake Wales best kept secrets, the Lake Wales Care Center Bicycle Ministry, hidden inside a cavernous downtown garage at 201 North Scenic Highway at the corner of Orange Avenue. There, stacks of donated bicycles await volunteers eager to clean them up and put them in working order. Lake Wal...
More convenient public parking downtown, the subject of repeated merchant requests, will be addressed soon, according to city officials. Converting a private parking lot to a city-owned facility is on the agenda of the next meeting of the Lake Wales Community Redevelopment Agency The board will consider the purchase of the privately-owned lot at the corner of Park Avenue and First Street at their January 9 meeting. The move is viewed as part of the ongoing reinvigoration...
