Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
Sorted by date Results 76 - 98 of 98
The process of converting barren downtown streets into a shady pedestrian oasis got a financial boost as the City expects to receive a Federal grant. In a presentation to area citizens via an Internet link from Washington DC Tuesday evening, Congressman Darren Soto mentioned that an $800,000 infusion for downtown street rehabilitation had been included in the recent bi-partisan Infrastructure package approved by the US House. The package is now awaiting Senate approval. Soto gave Mayor Eugene Fultz credit for having brought...
With their District 7 title hopes still riding high, the Lake Wales Highlanders notched their first important win against a conference rival by defeating Melbourne Eau Gallie 43-27 ay Legion Field in Lake Wales Friday night. For the second week in a row the local team started slowly, leading only 8-6 at the half after giving up a fumble in their own end zone. The Highlander points came on a Trent Grotjan pass to Carlos Mitchell that covered 30 yards. The second half was a diff...
Ora "Oz" Caldwell of Lake Wales passed away September 9th due to complications of Covid-19. Known to many by his nickname of "the Great One," Caldwell was a graduate of West Point and served for many years in the office of the Public Defender in Polk County. He was known to many in the Lake Wales area as a man of generous spirit and manner. "He was an officer and a gentleman," said former Public Defender Marion Moorman. "He was a fantastic lawyer, a true trial lawyer who had...
Ora "Oz" Oscar Caldwell, age 83, of Lake Wales passed away on September 9th, 2021 at 2:20pm at Advent Health in Davenport, Florida from respiratory complications due to Covid 19. Oz was born on October 19, 1937 in Lake Wales Florida. Oz spent his formative years on his father's dairy farm. He would often speak of these times with great fondness of the cowboys and hard lifestyles of the post-Great Depression period in Central Florida that he witnessed firsthand. During this...
Tony White- Beloved husband, father, brother and papa, embarked upon his last adventure as he passed peacefully into the arms of Jesus on September 10, 2021. Tony loved a great adventure and looked forward to setting out to blaze new trails! His first adventure was at 9 months old when he voyaged upon the Queen Mary to the United States. He was born on July 13, 1945, in London, England. From there, Tony and his family found themselves in the sunshine state and settle in...
Lucille Mae Leeks Coleman, 91, of Lake Wales, died Aug. 14, 2021 at Osceola Regional Medical Center in Kissimmee, FL. She was born July 4, 1930 in Live Oak, FL. Visitation will be from 6-8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 20 at Epps Memorial Funeral Home Chapel. Services are at 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 21 at Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church, 343 D St., Lake Wales. Masks are required for both....
Elizabeth Luzon, 59, of Lake Wales passed away Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021 at Advent Health Lake Wales. She was born March 11, 1962 in the Dominican Republic, to the late Rafael and Morima Olivo; she moved to Lake Wales from Allentown, Pennsylvania 7 years ago. Elizabeth was a sales associate for the Ross department store in Lakeland and was an active member of Iglesia Cristiana Pentecostal del Consolador in Kissimmee. She was a hard worker who had two jobs to support her family....
Sonia Margarita Rodriguez, 57, of Lake Wales passed away Wednesday, March 24, 2021 at Advent Health Lake Wales. She was born Dec. 22, 1963 in Caguas, Puerto Rico to Juan and Margarita Nieves; she moved to Lake Wales from Orlando one year ago. Sonia was a bookkeeper for Enterprise Trucking Corporation. She was a strong and kind woman who loved decorating for every holiday. She loved her family and always enjoyed having get together with them. Sonia is survived by her...
William G. "Bill" Lanoue, 67, of Lake Wales passed away Friday, Jan. 15, 2021 at Advent Health in Kissimmee. He was born July 11, 1953 in New London, CT to the late William and Florence Lanoue; he moved to Oldsmar, FL in his youth. He participated in scouting, was active in little league baseball, was an altar boy at church, enjoyed camping, fishing, and building model cars. In later years he enjoyed traveling and practicing flight simulation. He was a Tampa Bay Rays and New...
The Lake Wales History Museum will dedicate the new Mimi Hardman Collections and Research Center at the restored 1916 Seaboard Airline Freight Station, one of its iconic buildings in the museum's historic corridor, at 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 23. After adjusting the fundraising goals due to COVID-19, and approval of matching funds from the City of Lake Wales Community Redevelopment Agency, the project began in July, and is now complete. This newly restored building will now...
Charles Robert “Boo” Goodman, III, 22, of Lake Wales passed away Friday, Nov. 6, 2020 in Lake Wales. He was born April 29, 1998 in Kissimmee to Charles and Robin Goodman. Boo was a plumber for Tri Tech. He was a lifelong resident of the area and graduated from Lake Wales High School. Boo was love by many and will be missed. Boo was preceded in death by three brothers and sisters. He is survived by his mother, Robin Denise Goodman of West Virginia; father, Charles Robert Goodman, II of Lake Wales; sisters, Isabella Goo...
Lake Wales City Commissioner Al Goldstein has been tapped to chair the Florida League of Cities Land Use and Economic Development Committee. FLC President Tony Ortiz, an Orlando city commissioner, appointed Goldstein, who also is currently serving on the league's Federal Action Strike Team, which visits Washington, DC to discuss legislative issues at the national level. Ortiz said Goldstein will be responsible for working with other committee members to discuss the many...
Mary Louise Zipprer, 103, of Lake Wales passed away on Sunday, July 12, 2020 at the Lakeland Nursing and Rehab Center. Born July 17, 1916, at Rosalie, a small settlement on the Kissimmee River, her family moved to Lake Wales in 1919. Mary saw the transformation of the wooded area in front of her home into a beautiful park and a marshland converted into a football field. Downtown, with its livery stable and other wooden buildings, gradually made many changes including the...
Edward Duane "Ed" Stoops, 67, of Lake Wales passed away Saturday, May 23, 2020 at his residence. He was born November 22, 1952 in Frankfort, IN, to the late William and Thelma Stoops; he moved to Lake Wales in 1979. Ed was a retired EMT for Polk County, following 20 years of service. He enjoyed cooking for a crowd. He attended The Bridge Central Church and The Ephraim Light Assembly Church. Ed was preceded in death by his sister, Donita Jarrell, and brother James Stoops. He...
A three-vehicle crash on U.S. 27 near Tower Lakes Wednesday evening Feb. 12 resulted in the death of a 20-year-old Lake Wales woman. Police are unsure who was driving the 2006 grey Toyota Scion, which was headed south on U.S. 27 when it turned left at the entrance to Tower Lakes into the path of two other vehicles. The two occupants of the Scion were Natali Jane Moreno, who sustained life threatening injuries and was later pronounced dead at AdventHealth Lake Wales and 22-year...
Michele Ann Maisch Burney, 60, of Lake Wales passed away Sunday, Jan. 19, 2020 at AdventHealth Lake Wales. She was born December 19, 1959 in Orlando to the late Richard and Marie (Poskocil) Maisch. She was a lifelong resident of the area except for the 12 years she lived in Tennessee. She was self-employed as a real estate broker and a member of the Holy Spirit Catholic Church. Michele played guitar and loved to sing; she loved to fish, going to the beach, and animals. She is preceded in death by her sister Valerie Story....
Lake Wales City Commissioners and the mayor may be getting a pay raise, but it will be April 2021 at the earliest. Commissioners at their Dec. 2 meeting asked City Manager Ken Fields to look into the possibility of a significant boost in pay. The current annual rate is about $4,817 for commissioners and $7,226, who by charter gets 50 percent more, plus he receives a $300 per month car allowance. They also are eligible for city health insurance and the get whatever cost of...
After 30 years and countless volunteer hours for candidates and issues, Becky Wynkoop of Lake Wales finally earned recognition Friday Sept. 27 as the 2019 Marlene Duffy Young Polk County Outstanding Democratic Woman of the Year. "She has truly been a mentor for me and a leader in the Polk County Democrats," said Kathie Sutherland, chairwoman of the Polk County Democratic Executive Committee. "She just has so much history. It's about time she got this award. She's very...
"The road to progress is always under construction," Lily Tomlin reminded us many years ago, and that is no less true around Lake Wales. Keeping up with the rapid growth of the Lake Wales area will require major changes in how we travel. Several major road construction projects are planned. With them, of course, will come many disruptions. How will they affect you? Let us count the ways. The biggest changes will be along our major highways, US 27 and SR 60. Those projects...
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and partners celebrated the 25th anniversary of the FWC's Ridge Rangers Program on Saturday, April 6, at Lake Kissimmee State Park. The guests of honor were many of the volunteers, visionaries and agencies that have made this program a success, both past and present. "The Lake Wales Ridge is one of Florida's most highly imperiled ecosystems," said Jeff McGrady, FWC Division of Habitat and Species Conservation...
For Debbie Paschal, Shirley Woodward and Betty Harper it's like an annual reunion, coming back to Lake Aurora Christian Camp where they spent time in the summer of 1947, the camp's inaugural year. The three ladies from Miami, Port Charlotte and Orlando gathered March 7 with about 200 other seniors from about 25 churches for the annual "Young at Heart Day." "They are from supporting churches so they come back every year – they are just longtime camp friends," said Phyllis B...
If you are looking for something fun to do on a Friday or Saturday night in Lake Wales, head out east of town on U.S. Highway 60, take a left on Boy Scout Road then a right on Camp Mack Road. You will drive right to Guy Harvey's Camp Mack's River Resort at 14900 Camp Mack Road, northeast of Lake Wales. The old Liar's Lair bar has been masterfully remodeled into Gator Mack's - a full liquor bar with pool tables, dart boards, and a great jukebox. The smoke-free Gator Mack's...
The largest group of airboat enthusiasts in the United States and perhaps the world gathered Saturday, Feb. 16 on Lake Kissimmee east of Lake Wales. Hundreds of airboaters started launching before dawn on that chilly morning, many from Guy Harvey's Outpost Camp Mack River Resort in Lake Wales and all heading to Miles Point on the south side of the lake close to the Kissimmee State Park. At Miles Point, the Kissimmee River Valley Sportsman Association (KRVSA), led by their...
