Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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A strong feeder-band of storms is expected to pass over the Ridge area beginning about 3:45, with possible tornados and very gusty winds accompanied by heavy rains. Those needing to travel are encouraged to wait out the storms which should clear the area in about an hour. The heavy band of rain has already cleared the Bartow and Fort Meade area, where a rotation was detected by Doppler radar. An earlier funnel cloud was seen by multiple witnesses as it passed over Lake Wales,...
Heavy squalls passing through the Lake Wales area early Sunday afternoon generated a funnel cloud that hovered over Lake Wales. If was unconfirmed if it had touched the ground at any point during its south-to-north passage over the city, although there were numerous reports of very strong wind bursts from north of Crooked Lake to the city's north side. The squalls are part of the right flank of Tropical Storm Debby, which is intensifying over the Gulf of Mexico. Hurricane and...
Heavy rains southeast Polk and the Ridge area may be accompanied by gusty winds on Sunday and Monday as Tropical Storm Debby. currently located near Cuba will affect Florida's weather. The current forecast keeps the center of newly-designated Tropical Storm Debby away from the Tampa Bay area over the Gulf, reaching the coast only in the Big Bend area. The National Hurricane Center in Miami is projecting that the Debby will reach hurricane strength as it passes over the very...
Highway 60 was blocked west of Lake Wales for about five hours Friday night after a vehicle crossed the median and was struck by an oncoming truck. A Lake Placid woman lost her life in the tragedy. According to investigators from the Polk County Sheriff's office, at about 8:19 p.m., 32-year old Nakeyma Williams of Lake Placid was driving a 2011 Toyota Camry westbound when she apparently lost control of her vehicle, which slid into the eastbound lanes where it was struck...
In a move that left the community stunned, the well-known law firm of Family Elder Law halted operations more than a week ago, notifying employees through a text message that they were closing. Founded in 2013 by Lake Wales attorney Jason Penrod, the firm had grown to include three central Florida offices and some two dozen employees who were left wondering about the circumstances, which remain unknown. Penrod remains the sole officer of Family Elder Law P.A. In a statement...
Ridge cities are facing a challenging and expensive future effort to obtain water supplies for a growing population, according to officials from the Polk Regional Water Cooperative. PRWC Executive Director Eric DeHaven joined a team of engineers at a forum this week to explain the status of an ambitious project that expects to extract brackish water from a depth of more than 1,000 feet, substantially lower than the Floridan aquifer that currently supplies water to area...
Major Richard (Dick) S. Kenney, 73, of Lake Wales, FL, passed away peacefully on July 2nd, 2024, surrounded by loved ones. Born in Lorain, Ohio, on July 31, 1950, to Jim and Dorothy (Stanley) Kenney, Dick was a lifelong adventurer. He attended Lake Wales High School and was a proud member of the JROTC. After earning an associate's degree from Polk County Community College, he continued his studies at Northeast Louisiana University, majoring in game management and ecology. Dick...
UPDATE: A renewed boil-water order has been lifted for homes in the Country Oaks neighborhood of Lake Wales. Testing has confirmed that no contaminants are present. A boil-water notice reappeared on front doors across the Country Oaks neighborhood on the northeast side of Lake Wales after repeated interruptions in water service. A break in a 10" water line due to contractors serving the area is the reported problem. The notice says 330 customers in the area are affected. The...
Joe Neal Kincaid, 95, passed away Tuesday, July 23, 2024, at Good Shepard Hospice House, Auburndale, FL. He was born March 31, 1929, on Easter Sunday to the late James Cecil Kincaid, Sr. and Mary Alma Davis Kincaid. Joe's family was one of the first pioneer families in the Lake Wales area, where his grandfather established the Lake Wales Dairy, also known as the Kincaid Dairy, in the Spook Hill area. His family also established a dairy outlet and ice cream store known as the...
A major and much-needed street resurfacing project is underway in Indian Lake Estates. The project will address nearly two miles of streets in the area. The paving project will involve milling. Remixing and relaying the top surfaces of many of the streets. Included in the project are a portion of Ponce de Leon Avenue, and the circle providing access to Lake Wales-in-the-Water and the community pier. Other streets that will receive new surfaces include portions of Toronja...
Polk State College is hosting its annual school supply giveaway event to provide students and families with support and resources as the new school year begins, including up to 500 backpacks and 1,500 books. Students and families are invited to attend Polk State College's "Ready to Soar" event August 17 at the JD Alexander Center in Lake Wales. The Center is located at 152 East. Central Avenue in Lake Wales. The event is open to the public and intended for students from...
Reverend Dr. G. Craig Williford has been appointed interim president of Warner University in Lake Wales following the departure of Dr. David A. Hoag, who had led the school since May of 2016. Hoag has been retained to serve as the new President of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) in Washington D.C. Dr. Williford accepted the Board of Trustee's request to serve as interim president of Warner University effective August 1. Dr. Williford will "ensure...
After a lull of several weeks without even a tropical depression, let alone a named storm, the Atlantic Hurricane Season is heating up again. August and September form the heart of the storm season, which peaks around September 10, according to historical records. Forecasters and computer models have alerted to the possible formation of a new cyclone this week in the vicinity of the Antilles. If the storm forms there, it is likely to track in the general direction of the...
Yet another large-scale development is being planned for the Lake Wales area, this time on the city's western edge, after the proposal received approvals from the city's Planning and Zoning board Tuesday. Lake Wales Commons could host as many as 3,200 new dwelling units, along with more than a million square feet of light industrial and warehouse space on about 558 acres fronting along SR 60 West, Old Bartow Road, and West Lake Wales Road North. The sprawling collection of 26...
It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Gloria Evelyn Schumann Penn, a respected businesswoman, devoted animal lover, cherished mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Gloria passed away peacefully, surrounded by her family, on July 11th, 2024 at the age of 87 years. Gloria was born on January 13th, 1937 in Miami, Florida. Her death was preceded by her father, Harry (Butch) Edward Schumann, her mother, Martha E Levey Schumann, and her son, William (Bill)...
The health and wellbeing of hundreds of area residents may improve thanks to a $10,000 grant intended to help a local business grow and prosper. American Express and Main Street America announced that Yoga Bliss is one of the 500 small business owners nationwide who have been awarded one of the grants, distributed through the "Backing Small Business" grant program. business is owned by Megan Rimer, who has a degree in criminology from USF, but stepped into yoga as a teen,...
Gary Eugene Jones of Lake Wales passed away Tuesday, July 16, 2024 at his residence. He was born October 4, 1945 in Saginaw, Michigan to the late Eugene and Eva Jones; he moved to Lake Wales from Saint Petersburg in 1994. Before retirement, Gary was a engineer for GTE then Verizon. He also worked at CitroSucco for 10 years and for the Florida Fish and Game Commission. He served with the United States Navy under the “Seabees” during the Vietnam War. Gary was a hard worker and a...
Although the summer doldrums would predict otherwise, downtown Lake Wales is buzzing over the opening of a popular new coffee shop, one of the newest businesses to open during the ongoing transformation of the area. Latte Lounge offers coffee beans sourced from a small business in Virginia, creating fresh and flavorful handcrafted beverages, along with a changing variety of cookies and pastries in a warm and inviting atmosphere, well stocked with new books by local authors....
Samuel Torres-Martinez of Lakeshore passed away Wednesday, July 17, 2024 at Lakeland Hospice House. He was born April 27, 1938 in Manati, Puerto Rico to the late Enrique and Andrea Torres; he moved to Lakeshore from Puerto Rico 13 years ago. Samuel was an air conditioning repair man and a veteran of the United States Army. He enjoyed playing dominos, riding motorcycles, and dancing with his wife. Samuel was preceded in death by his son, Jorge Luis Torres-Sifuentes in November...
Dual-enrollment of Lake Wales Charter School students in STEM courses at Webber International University will result from a a $10,000 Impact Polk grant from the George W. Jenkins Fund within GiveWell Community Foundation. The grant will provide greater access to students pursuing careers as registered nurses or occupational therapy assistants, according to Dr. Nelson Marquez, President/CEO of Webber. STEM refers to concentrations in the areas of science, technology, engineerin...
A 40-year-old Lake Wales man is dead after a kayaking trip on a local lake. A death investigation is underway following the recovery of the body of an adult male from Lake Annie, a 407-acre lake in the Waverly area of Lake Wales early this morning. Shane Park of Magnolia Street in Lake Wales had set out on the lake about 3:30 p.m. Sunday in a kayak. Weather at the time was fine, but thunderstorms began moving into the area a short time later. When he failed to return to shore...
The closure of SR 17 (Scenic Highway) at Hillcrest Avenue, originally announced as a 30-day project, is expected to continue well after the beginning of the school year, forcing additional traffic onto South 4th Street past McLaughlin Middle-High School. Crews closed Scenic Highway from Grove Avenue to Hillcrest Avenue in June to begin installing new drainage structures. Sidewalks in the area are also detoured. According to the Florida Department of Transportation, the...
Twelve "Safe Zones" under the monitoring of the Polk County Sheriff's Office are now available to all Polk County residents for the purposes of custody exchanges of e-commerce sales, according to officials with the sheriff's office. The locations offer 24/7 continuously-monitored video surveillance with recordings retained for at least 45 days. They also provide adequate lighting and signage for safety. The Florida Legislature recently passed a law which requires count...
Ricardo Diaz, Jr. of Lake Wales passed away Friday, July 12, 2024, at AdventHealth Lake Wales. He was born on February 11, 1977, in Brooklyn, New York to Elba Muriel and the late Ricardo Diaz, Sr. Ricardo was a Service Technician and loved to cook and fish. He also loved classic cars, his children, and his grandchildren. Ricardo is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Arroyo; daughter, Shanelle Muniz of Connecticut; sons Reinaldo Muniz of Lake Wales, Ricardo Diaz II of Lake Wales,...
A long-awaited audit of the operations of a business incubator funded by the city of Lake Wales using federal grant funds has turned up several shortcomings but few details, despite a long delay. The audit, which covers only the first year of operations of the incubator, operated Florida Development Corporation, was ordered by the city following the arrest of the former FDC chief financial officer Charles Young on felony fraud charges. Young was accused by his former business...
