Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
Sorted by date Results 351 - 375 of 3217
The Polk County Sheriff's Office arrested a pest & lawn service worker twice last week after detectives spoke with two female customers who said the man exposed himself to them during separate incidents. Tyler Mountain, 27, of Lake Wales was charged with Lewd Exhibition (M1) and Lewd Exhibition to an Elderly Person (F3). The investigation began on October 26, 2023 after a 76-year old woman reported that an employee of Massey Services exposed himself to her while he was in her...
The realization of a "Big Green Network" of environmental lands that will forever form limits to the potential urbanization of the Lake Wales area drew a step closer this week. Lifelong Lake Wales resident and member of a pioneer family, Edwin Friedlander has offered his 749-acre ranch property for acquisition through the Polk Forever program, approved by voters in 2022. The property was assessed by a "technical advisory team" before being approved by the Conservation Lands...
A delightful evening filled with colorful holiday décor, music, happiness, and yes, snow, will fill the streets of downtown Lake Wales with families getting themselves deeply into the holiday spirit. The annual "Make It Magical" event, hosted by Lake Wales Main Street and a host of sponsors, has become a holiday tradition for area residents who pour into the downtown streets to share in the festive air. The 9th annual event will happen this Friday night, December 8, along...
"Toys on Parade" will dazzle children and adults alike this weekend in Lake Wales as the annual Christmas night parade steps off. The parade happens this Saturday at 6:00 and thousands are expected to line First Street and Central Avenue along the roughly one-mile route. The display of creative and colorfully-lighted floats and bands, along with dancers, musicians, and other examples of holiday cheer is following a new route this year due to ongoing construction on Park...
The big news from 100 years ago included the sale of the historic first box of fruit from the Orphan Grove for $1,000, which was enough to purchase some homes in the city at the time. Other news stories told of an exploratory "oil well" being bored near Polk City. The area is now well-known to be the deepest region of the Floridan Aquifer, which is the source of the area's drinking water. Also in the news was word of yet another expansion to the growing network of paved roads...
In a program offered annually at the nearby public lands, Lake Wales area residents are able to cut their own tree, but they have to use a hand-saw to do the work. No power tools are allowed in the forest. A tree-cutting permit costs only $10, a great deal when fresh trees cut in other states and brought to Florida cost far more. Available trees are 10 feet to 15 feet tall, but may be trimmed back to the desired size after leaving the forest. Trees will be harvested along...
Webber International University, located just south of Lake Wales near Crooked Lake, has a new president and CEO following action by the school's board of directors. Dr. Nelson Marquez was named during the semi-annual meeting of the Board of Trustees on December 1, when the board unanimously approved the appointment of Dr. Marquez effective that date. Dr. Marquez replaces Dr. H. Keith Wade who has served as the University's President/CEO since 2008. Dr. Marquez had served as...
Daquan Carey, a 23-year-old Winter Haven man who is a "documented gang member," according to the Polk County Violent Gang Investigative Task Force, was arrested in Winter Haven and charged with numerous felonies related to a drive-by shooting in the Waverly area of Lake Wales. The incident happened on 3rd Street in Waverly at about 3:20 am on November 22, according to a statement from the Polk County Sheriff's office. At that scene detectives met with two victims who reported...
Music fans from around the country are expected to gather in Lake Wales Friday and Saturday, December 1 and 2 as a local non-profit hosts the "Orange Blossom Revue." The annual "celebration of music, community, and nature" is returning the city for a ninth year and is expected to draw crowds of music-lovers to the shores of Lake Wailes. The two-day event features a lineup of top musical acts in a wide range of genres ranging from "R&B to country to folk to jazz," according to...
In nothing less than a transformation, the formerly dreary stretch of Park Avenue west of First Street is swiftly becoming an attractive green oasis intended to help draw pedestrian traffic to the heart of Lake Wales. The three-block-long stretch of the street west of Scenic Highway is the heart of the $20 million investment being made by the Lake Wales Community Redevelopment Agency to reinvigorate the city's urban core. Conceived as "Lake Wales Connected" by a team of...
Although it's only early November, hundreds of people from Lake Wales and far beyond are preparing for the area's biggest festival of 2024. The 40th annual Lake Wales Mardi Gras celebration will reach a climax on the busy weekend of February 10 when more than a dozen parade "krewes" will step off in colorful costumes and festooned floats to present the annual parade, the traditional high-point of weeks of celebration. "Mardi Gras" is French for "fat Tuesday," the day before...
Hundreds in Lake Wales were left stunned and saddened recently by the sudden passing of Drew Truitt, a community volunteer described by one friend as a "social instigator." Truitt, 67, had celebrated his birthday only days earlier at a meeting of Rotary on the Ridge, which was one of several avenues for his enthusiasm and willingness to help. Truitt had been named Rotarian of the Year in 2018-19 largely due to his contagious enthusiasm for volunteer projects and his...
A Sebring man was killed on US 27 Monday night after failing to slow for a truck making a U-turn at Harbor Drive. Polk County Deputies and Fire Rescue personnel were dispatched to the crash around 7:21pm, according to a police report. First responders found the driver of the GMC deceased in his vehicle. The two-vehicle crash left the driver of the semi-truck, a 34-year old Ocala man, uninjured. PCSO Traffic Homicide Investigations responded to the crash and began collecting...
Construction of a new sewer main and lift station will require the closure of Sunshine Drive in the Crooked Lake Park neighborhood south of Lake Wales for two months starting Monday, December 4. Sunshine Drive will be closed to through traffic at the intersection with U.S. Highway 27. Sunshine Drive residents can access their homes via connecting crossroads from First Avenue North. Minor backups and delays at the First Avenue North and U.S. Highway 27 intersection are possible...
The Lake Wales Highlander of 100 years ago offered stories about the very active Lake Wales Woman's Club's hiring of a landscaper to beautify railroad park surrounding the passenger depot at Park Avenue. The group also cooked 800 chickens to feed a touring group of railroad men dinner in an effort to promote better railroad service for the growing town of about 2,000 residents. In other news the town was organizing a band with assistance from the director of the existing band...
A large-scale redevelopment proposal that includes both Lake Wales Country Club and the adjacent Oakwood golf course community is raising passions among residents, some of whom have differing responses to the concept, which merges the two golf courses into a single 18-hole course. A new hotel would accompany hundreds of townhomes, apartments, and single-family homes, a total of 1,424 dwelling units spread across 522 acres. Nearly 152 acres would remain as open space under the...
Judith Anne Reid of Lake Wales passed away Sunday, November 26, 2023 at AdventHealth Lake Wales under the care of Vitas Hospice. She was born March 26, 1961 in Saint Charles, Illinois to the late Robert Buckwald and Anne Langfit. She moved to Lake Wales from Hamilton, Ohio 30 years ago. Judith was a manager for Island Foods. She was a fan of the Buffalo Bills, Florida State Seminoles, and the Kentucky Wildcats. Judith enjoyed all things outdoors especially camping and riding...
The deadline for entering a float in the Lake Wales Christmas night parade is fast approaching, according to members of the sponsoring Rotary on the Ridge. Those interested in being a part of the event have until November 30 to send in their entry forms. The theme of this year's procession is "Toys on Parade," and numerous entries are expected to feature toys, some on a gigantic scale. The parade will follow a modified route through the city this year after lining up at Polk...
Nancy M. Hunt, 90, passed away peacefully Monday, November 13, 2023 surrounded by beloved family members. Nancy was born December 30, 1932 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to the late William and Helen McClelland. In 1945, she moved to Jacksonville with her family. In 1952, after marrying the love of her life, Ellis, whom she met while attending the University of Florida, they moved to Lake Wales. She loved her role as wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and homemaker. Nan...
Arlie "Skipper" Richards of Lake Wales passed away Friday, November 17, 2023 at James A. Haley Hospital in Tampa. He was born May 8, 1961 in Portsmouth, Virginia to the late Arlie and Ruth Richards; he has been a lifelong resident of the area and graduated from Lake Wales High School in 1978. Skipper retired from the United States Air Force then worked as a mechanic for Citro Suco. He loved fishing and working on cars. Skipper loved his family dearly and was a great dad and...
Lake Wales voters were facing three election sin a 60-day span 100 years ago, with the first of the separate ballots to decide the burning issue of whether to require the fencing of livestock, thereby ending the "open range" era of life in this part of the state. The decades-long battle between advocates of open range livestock and those who opposed the practice had sometimes led to violence due to incidents including fence-cutting. Those clashes were referred to as "range...
Walter D. Chaney Jr., 81, loving husband and father, passed away on November 19th,2023. He is survived by his wife Susan L. Chaney, son Patrick, step daughter Diana, grandsons Darren, Trenton, and Landen, and granddaughters Keena, Kiera, and Paxtynn. He was born in Macon, Georgia on October 25, 1942, and was predeceased by his parents Walter Sr. and Elizabeth Chaney. He was a graduate of Savannah Christian High School in Georgia where he played trumpet in the marching band....
There's still time for you to be one of our 26 winners who get a free "all-the-works" pizza just by sharing a news story on your social media feed. Yep, you can earn the large pizza of your choice from Pizzano's of Lake Wales just by sharing the important stories we publish about our community. Pick an impactful story from our sections about Schools, Fun, Ridge Life, Business, it's all up to you! Just know that you could very well be enjoying one of our delicious prizes. Two...
Kenneth “Cricket” Bessette of Lake Wales passed away Thursday, November 16, 2023 at AdventHealth Lake Wales. He was born October 12, 1958 in England to the late Kenneth Bessette and Doreen Hamilton; he came here from Riverview 15 years ago. He was a retired collections representative and of the Catholic faith. He enjoyed family, fishing and hunting. He was always the life of the party. He loved his family dearly and was loved by everyone. He was an animal lover and loved his...
A major resurfacing project is expected to disrupt traffic flow on US 27 during the coming months as contractors undertake improvements to about seven miles of the six-lane thoroughfare stretching from Waverly Road in Lake Wales north to Kokomo Road in Lake Hamilton. According to the Florida Department of Transportation, the project involves removing and replacing the asphalt roadway surface, as well as reworking shoulders. The project also includes widening and adding a new...
