Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
Sorted by date Results 26 - 47 of 47
Ronald Kyle "Ron" Porter passed away Sunday, May 15, 2022, in Lake Wales. Born November 21, 1955, in Ironton, OH, he was the son of the late Ronald Keene Porter and Georgia Lea (Conley) Porter. Ron was a longtime member of Peace Creek Baptist Church and K.R.V.S.A. Mr. Porter worked many years for Ashland Chemicals in Bartow. He was an avid airboater known as the "FrogSpit" guy who formerly owned and operated Bullfrog Marine in Fort Meade. He is survived by a loving family that...
Leta Mitchell Wright, 97, retired educator, volunteer, and champion of her hometown passed away Wednesday, November 17, 2021 at her home in Fort Meade. Mrs. Leta Wright, or "Mama Leta", as she was lovingly called by her grandchildren and numerous friends, was born in Fort Meade, Florida, on January 12, 1924 to Elbert Franklin and Belle Hendrix Mitchell. She graduated from Fort Meade High School before moving to DeLand, Florida to attend Stetson University where she earned her...
Yvonne Marie Davis, age 76, passed away Tuesday, November 9, 2021 at Vitas Hospice in Winter Garden, FL. She was born December 19, 1944 in Alabama to Venus & Vita Smith Williams. Yvonne was a Housewife. She was of the Baptist Faith. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband Dick Davis, sister Janice Jared, two nephews Graham Jared and Ethan Jared. She is survived by two step daughters Patricia Caswall of Longwood, FL, Donna White of Winter Park, FL, niece Julie Jared...
James E. Gargus, age 77, passed away Saturday, October 30, 2021 at his residence in Bowling Green, FL. He was born August 31, 1944 in Deering, MO to Wade & Isabelle Gargus. James was a Correctional Officer in Hardee County. He was an avid Chicago Bears fan. He is survived by his wife Carol Gargus, three sons Dennis Gargus (Linda), Robert Gargus (Stormy), Edward Gargus (Lynn), daughter Laura Carver, two brothers Daniel Gargus (Debra), Bob Gargus (Rosemary), two sisters Willie...
Timothy Robert Jones of Fort Meade passed away Wednesday, October 13, 2021 at Advent Health Sebring. He was born February 21, 1956 in Aurora, Illinois to Robert and Janet Jones; he moved to Lake Wales from South Carolina three years ago. Timothy was the Director of Environmental Services for the Hospital Housekeeping Services and held a master's degree in business administration. He led a life marked by faith and was a member of Christ Fellowship. His strength of character...
The Polk County Supervisor of Elections will join in a nationwide effort to register voters on Tuesday, September 28th in celebration of National Voter Registration Day. Registration tables will be available at seven locations around Polk County. New voters will have the opportunity to register to vote, and current voters will be able to update their record if they have moved, or changed their name. October 4th is the deadline to register to vote in Polk County’s November 2nd Municipal Elections in Fort Meade, Lakeland and W...
David Arthur Lester, 70, of Lake Wales passed away Friday, Aug. 27, 2021 at Winter Haven Hospital. He was born October 1, 1950 in Winter Haven to the late D. Donald and Frances "Frankie" Lester. David took great pride in being a University of Florida graduate. He worked for the State of Florida and later worked at Disney as a resort security manager. He was of strong Catholic faith. He took great joy in making wonderful meals for his family and friends, taking trips with famil...
Wade C. Scaggs, 72, of Lake Wales passed away Friday, Aug. 3, 2021 at the AdventHealth Lake Wales. He was born September 16, 1948 in Lake Wales to the late Frank and Sarah Jane Scaggs; he started his professional career in Tallahassee in 1968, then continued his work in Tampa and later Newberry before returning to Lake Wales in 1988. He was a retired investigator for the State of Florida States Attorney’s office and in the U.S. Navy Reserves and U.S. Army Reserves, 600th MP Battalion, 4th ARCOM. He was a member of the Church...
Polk County's Roads and Drainage maintenance units are now equipped with automatic sandbag machines to assist residents with storm preparation. The machines will be deployed at each of the six locations throughout the county – Mulberry, Lakeland, Fort Meade, Frostproof, Auburndale and Dundee. The machines will also be used to produce sandbags for a site in Poinciana. "With the significant need for sandbags during nearly every storm event, it made sense to purchase these for o...
Karthy Mae Willis, 71, of Lake Wales passed away Wednesday, July 7, 2021 at the Consulate of Winter Haven. She was born February 19, 1950 in Temple, GA. Karthy was a retired manager for Eager Beaver. Karthy was preceded in death by her husband, Larry Willis, Sr.; sons, Larry Willis, Jr. in 2021, and Stephen Willis as a baby; and many brothers and sisters. She is survived by her daughters, Tammy Bowen and husband Christopher of Lake Wales, Penny Matthews and husband Gene of Frostproof, and Jenny Bellinger and husband Ray of...
Danny Kinchen, 68, of Lake Wales passed away Sunday, May 30, 2021 at his residence. He was born July 9, 1952 in Winter Haven to the late J.D. and Nora Kinchen. Danny worked as a mechanic for Mosaic Corporation for 34 years and was a veteran of the United States Army. He loved fishing, working in his yard, going to the Hard Rock Casino with his wife, playing the lottery, and spending time with his family. He always had control of the T.V. remote. Danny was preceded in death by...
Polk Vision welcomed 45 program members to accomplished ranks of Leadership Polk Alumni on Friday, May 21, 2021 at the Balmoral Estates. Those with close ties to Lake Wales included Andy Oguntola from Polk State College, David Black from the Lake Wales Police Department and Michelle Yodonis with the Polk County Clerk of the Courts. Leadership Polk says its Alumni include some of the community's best thought leaders. They understand the value of collective impact and value the...
Lake Wales commissioners will be tackling a big issue in the coming months, looking to ensure the city has an adequate supply of water for decades to come. City leaders recently heard a presentation from representatives of the Polk Regional Water Cooperative, which has settled on a plan to drill into the lower Floridan aquifer to provide a new alternative water source for local municipalities. Those wells will be up to 1,800 feet deep – about three times deeper than wells i...
Shellie Lanier Castle, 50, of Babson Park passed away Thursday, February 11, 2021 at Lakeland Regional Medical Center. She was born November 20, 1970 in Bartow to James Lanier and Claire McLemore; she was a lifelong resident of the area. Shellie was a Hospice Nurse. She loved all things ocean and her family, especially being a honey to her grandchildren. Shellie was preceded in death by her father Dewey Lanier; and son, Cody Douglas Castle. She is survived by her mother, Ann...
Ken Tibado, 64, of Fort Meade passed away Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021 at his Lake Wales residence. He was born February 22, 1956 in Lake Wales to the late Kenneth Tibado and Imogene Stone. He loved spending time with his dogs and grandchildren. Ken is survived by his daughter, Kassandra Brewer of Fort Meade; sisters, Gala Tibado of Titusville, and Betty Shacreaw of Frostproof; brothers, Keith Tibado of Frostproof, and Kyle Reath of Orinda, CA; grandchildren, Kyler, Kaden, Karlee...
(Editor's Note: Lake Wales High School is not included in this report, since it is part of the charter system and not considered a traditional Polk high school. Its graduation rate will be reported separately.) Polk County Public Schools' graduation rate jumped to 86.5 percent last year - a new record high - even as seniors faced unprecedented challenges due to the pandemic. The district's latest graduation rate was a 5.3 percentage point increase from the previous year (81.2...
I am so blessed to live in such a wonderful and diverse state. Not only do we get to boast about being the happiest place on earth because Disney World is not too far down the road, but we also are a huge agriculture state - from citrus to cattle to fruits and vegetables. Sometimes I take it for granted how blessed I am to have all this bounty around me. When my sister asked if I wanted to go pick blueberries three weeks ago, I was so excited. Growing up, I thought...
For the second time in three years, $2.5 million of Polk State College’s recurring operational budget – more than 5 percent of the College’s total budget – is at risk of veto and the College is requesting the community’s support to protect these funds to ensure the Polk State JD Alexander Center, Polk State’s Lake Wales Campus, may continue to serve southeast Polk County with quality higher education and workforce training. The 2019 Legislative Session concluded May 4 with...
Fran (Parrish) Caraway, 81, of Lake Wales passed away Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020 at Advent Health Heart of Florida surrounded by her loving family. She was born July 2, 1939 in Fort Meade to the late William and Lucy Parrish; she has been a resident of Lake Wales since 1979. Fran was a homemaker, and a paraprofessional at Frostproof Middle/Senior School for 22 years before retiring. She spent her time bowling, reading, and fishing and she loved to dance, sing, and sew. She was...
With a possible hurricane headed toward Florida, Polk County is offering sandbags to residents wanting to protect their homes from water intrusion. Sandbags will be provided to Polk County residents at all Roads and Drainage maintenance units and another site in Poinciana from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; Aug. 22 and 23. A maximum of 10 sandbags will be provided to each vehicle to help prevent water intrusion into the home. Beginning Aug. 22, the following locations...
About 100 business and community leaders, elected officials and educators gathered Thursday morning, May 16, to rally support for continued funding of the Lake Wales J.D. Alexander Center of Polk State College. Rather than include $2.5 million for the Lake Wales campus in its regular budget, the Florida Legislature placed it as a separate line item, making it subject to a potential veto by Gov. Ron DeSantis. Polk State President Angela Garcia Falconetti reminded the crowd that...
Three Lake Wales Charter schools were among 21 schools in Polk County recognized recently as Five Star School award winners by the Florida Department of Education. Dale R. Fair Babson Park Elementary School, Hillcrest Elementary School and Polk Avenue Elementary School were among about 700 schools statewide to receive the honor for the 2017-18 school year. The Five Star School award honors schools for exemplary community involvement and their commitment to incorporating...
