Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
Sorted by date Results 201 - 225 of 486
May 13- An argument and poor judgement led to the death of an Orlando woman Saturday night, only some three hours after the traffic death of a Lake Wales man nearby. According to Lake Wales Traffic Homicide Investigators, Lataysha Rene Kelly, 27, of Orlando had been driving west on Chalet Suzanne Road just west of Dinner Lake Shores in Lake Wales, at approximately 10:55 pm, accompanied by Donald Dixon 34, also of Orlando. Police reported that the two were having an argument...
APRIL 25 - A public "town hall" meeting about the proposed ADS plastic pipe plant scheduled for Wednesday evening will be chaired by Lake Wales Deputy Mayor Robin Gibson, it was announced this week. The meeting will offer residents an opportunity to ask questions about the operations and impact of the facility. "They asked the city to be in charge of things," Gibson told LakeWalesNews.net, and specifically suggested that Gibson should chair it. "I told them 'If you want that,...
APRIL 27 - A powerful thunderstorm that descended on the Lake Wales area Wednesday night left many residents cleaning up fallen limbs and damp walls and floors. LakeWalesNews.net had shared a warning of the potential for a hailstorm only 12 hours before it struck. The storm, which grew to severe proportions over the Green Swamp are of northern Polk County, dropped south down the Lake Wales Ridge, striking Haines City and Dundee before passing over Lake Wales with one-inch...
A creative group of Lake Wales area citizens joined with urban design and traffic planners Saturday morning at the James Austin Center to begin the process of designing an alternative future for the City of Lake Wales. Future neighborhood development types, street designs, greenways, preferred placement of residential developments, and even a "blueway" trail connecting to Winter Haven were among suggestions that emerged from teams working around maps and charts. The process,...
A chance to relax in the shade, enjoy food from your favorite food truck, listen to four different bands, and let the kids burn off steam as they learn and play is expected to draw crowds to Lake Wailes Park Saturday. The 10:00 am to 8:00 pm event will include a kite festival, a family-feud style trivia game, nature walks, a giant inflatable obstacle course, nature walks, a "fishing pond," and a wide variety of games and prizes for adults and kids. A silent auction and gift...
A public meeting seeking to respond to public concerns over a proposed plastic pipe manufacturing facility will take place on Wednesday, April 26 at the Lake Wales Arts Center. The meeting will be hosted by Advanced Drainage Systems, or ADS, the company seeking to build on a 97-acre site fronting South 11th Street and Hunt Brothers Road. The meeting will begin at 6:00 pm. Some residents have voiced opposition to the "heavy" industrial use of the property, although it has been...
An overflow crowd was present Tuesday night as Lake Wales City Commissioners approved correction of a "scrivener's error" that many had interpreted as a step toward the approval of a controversial pipe factory proposal. The change will allow a staff decision on a zoning change from "Light Industrial" to "Heavy Industrial" without the necessity of a commission-conducted public hearing process and site review. That process would allow commissioners to place special conditions...
Doubts about the future of Lake Wales will be met with inspiration Friday night as a special opening reception for "Charette Week" will take place downtown from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. The public is invited. The casual "come-and-go event" will be hosted by the planning team of Dover, Kohl & Partners, who will share information about the busy week of hands-on planning that will shape the city's future through a project called "Lake Wales Envisioned." A charette is a small cart once...
The year-long lawsuit between plaintiffs the City of Lake Wales and defendants Dixie-Walesbilt LLC of Winter Haven has taken a significant turn. The future potential redevelopment of the 11-story hotel, a Lake Wales landmark, hangs in the balance. A ruling issued by Circuit Judge William Sites on Wednesday denied the defendant's motion for summary judgement on each of the five points. The suit filed by the city and the Community Redevelopment Agency alleges that...
A "town hall" community organizing event is planned to take place Monday at the Mary Norma Campbell Resource Center in Highland Park Manor. The 7:00 pm event is the second meeting of the community located southeast of Lake Wales. Concern over the lack of transparency by the city of Lake Wales over rezoning of an industrial site to accommodate proposed plastic pipe factory appears to be one of the catalysts for the revival of the neighborhood association. Both Highland Park...
A packed house greeted a team of planners, traffic engineers and developers Monday afternoon to hear presentations that may help shape the future of Lake Wales. Experts shared the keys to creating a superior community to begin the process of Lake Wales Envisioned. The months-long effort to deal with an anticipated wave of growth was initiated by the City of Lake Wales with the support of a host of co-sponsors. Interested citizens filled the theatre at Bok Tower Gardens for...
It was a very unhappy group of Lake Wales City Commissioners who spent more than 45 minutes discussing their generally dismal evaluations of City Attorney Chuck Galloway Wednesday. At their regular workshop meeting the commission discussed the notes they had turned in as part of an annual performance review. Galloway received a total of eight "unsatisfactory" scores from four commissioners who completed their evaluations. Commissioner Daniel Williams had not yet submitted his,...
Frostproof's limited dining options will expand with the addition of one new choice Friday, March 31 as the highly anticipated Frostproof BBQ Company is slated to open. Although several other popular dining places are already operating, many locals are quite excited to have another choice. The Frostproof BBQ Company will make owner Joel Vann's eighth location, following in their duo's work with Lakeland BBQ Company and Polk City BBQ Company. Preparations at the new business...
A surge in readership and community reach is being celebrated as a reflection of the growing awareness and trust of LakeWalesNews.net among residents of the Ridge area. The expansion of readership and advertising is powering an expansion of news coverage as well as the News increases coverage of events in Frostproof, Babson Park, Indian Lake, and surrounding communities through the hiring of new staff and correspondents. In addition to a substantial base of readers who...
March 31, 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the final withdrawal of US military forces from Vietnam, ending more than a decade of fighting in support of the government of South Vietnam. At its peak in the late 1960's more than 500,000 Americans were serving in-country, and a million others were working in support of the massive effort. Some 282,000 US and allied forces were killed in the fighting, many soldiers of the Army of Vietnam. An estimate by the Department of Defense...
Crews from Gomez Construction will be barricading a block of West Park Avenue between First Street and Wetmore Street on Monday, March 6 to begin the $11.5 million transformation of that street and, eventually, the adjoining eastern blocks and the adjacent MarketPlace. The project is the first major undertaking of the ambitious $20 million project defined by the Lake Wales Connected plan, which was developed with wide public input. The finished product will feature a brick-pav...
An upbeat assessment of activities during the past year and a positive look toward the future was offered by Lake Wales Mayor Jack Hilligoss at the annual "State of the City" luncheon sponsored by the Lake Wales Area Chamber of Commerce Friday. The event drew some seventy area residents to the Performing Arts Center at The Vanguard School. In a speach running about 25 minutes Hilligoss cited the implementation of a "180" utility city area, which "establishes the footprint" of...
Saturday, March 25th is the last day registered voters who reside in Lake Wales can submit a request to receive a ballot by mail for the April 4th Municipal Elections. Four candidates are seeking election to new three-year terms on the city commission in the voting. New requests for mail ballots can be made online at PolkElections.gov or by calling the Elections Office at (863) 534-5888. Voted ballots may be returned by mail or dropped off to the Supervisor of Elections, but...
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to shape the future livability of Lake Wales begins Monday at Bok Tower Gardens as a high-powered team of planners bring their national reputations. talents, and insights to bear on the city. The project, designated "Lake Wales Envisioned," will consider the future of a large area around the city and include topics ranging from parks, recreation, and conservation to future sites for commercial, residential, and industrial uses. Transportation...
Four city commission candidates facing an April 4 election shared a stage at the Lake Wales Womans Club Auditorium Tuesday evening to compare their positions on a variety of topics raised by audience questions. Few major differences were apparent on subjects ranging from public transportation to electric car chargers. The candidates responded to five questions submitted in advance by the two organizations, followed by others submitted by the audience. Surprisingly, none of the...
A host of proposed housing developments that could more than double the population of Lake Wales have created worries that the once-quiet community will be overrun by sprawling growth. In response, citizens are being encouraged to join in a process to help prevent bad outcomes. A March 20 afternoon "symposium" at Bok Tower Gardens will be a key part of a months-long project called "Lake Wales Envisioned." "Olmsted's City 10, 25, and 50 years" is a tagline for the process, and...
Several happy amateur detectives are celebrating their wins in the Lake Wales News Treasure Hunt game after finding the prize claim forms at area businesses. Charmaine Walker, Bridget Nicole, Thomas Dunn, Juanita Zwarczuk, Hattie Johnson, Amy Mincet and Cristina Carver collected prize packages sharing $1000 worth of gift certificates, event passes, and prize items. Sponsors including Melanie's Seafood Company, Dyer Chevrolet, Lake Wales Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, Maggie Mae's...
A policy change allowing increased public input reverses a controversial decision by the Lake Wales City Commission to that sharply limited public input. The modification to a standing policy regarding public comment was approved by the City Commission Tuesday. The policy will continue to limit speakers to five minutes, and all comments to a 45-minute period, unless the commission majority to extends the period for an additional 15 minutes, the maximum allowed. The earlier...
The Lake Wales City Commission will consider relinquishing authority on major zoning changes to a city planning staff person who will serve as the final decision-maker. That choice may determine who controls decisions related to a proposal for a nearly 100-acre industrial facility on the city's south side. The issue is particularly timely because of the pending rezoning from "light industrial" to "heavy industrial" of the site, which adjoins both Highland Park and Highland Par...
Tickets to the Strawberry Festival, free oil change coupons, ice cream, free bowling, and restaurant gift certificates are among the prizes waiting to be claimed at specific area merchants participating in the Lake Wales News Treasure Hunt. Each prize package contains multiple prizes with a value up to or exceeding $100. A bit of simple detective work is all you need to claim them. The Treasure Hunt is open to all, and clues are spread throughout this news site, most at the...
