Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 161
The first ad valorum tax rate increase in nearly a decade was approved by the Lake Wales city commission on first reading Wednesday. The new property tax hike of 16.34 percent will contribute to the city's $99.5 million budget for fiscal year 2022-2023, which begins October 1. For many years in a row, Lake Wales commissions have simply adopted the "roll-back" rate, which was the rate which would generate the same revenue year after year, while the rate fell. That steady...
An agreement approving a new three-year contract between the City of Lake Wales and city police patrol officers and sergeants was ratified by local members of the West Central Florida Police Benevolent Association in a unanimous vote Wednesday night, after being previously approved on the city commission's consent agenda. The new contract will run through 2026. Police officers and sergeants will receive a six percent cost-of-living allowance (COLA) on October 1. Two further...
All 130 school bus stops throughout Lake Wales are well-lit following the efforts of city staff. The improvements came after a thorough assessment was completed by City of Lake Wales staff who identified bus stop locations from reports provided by the Polk County School District and the Lake Wales Charter Schools system. "Staff in the streets department and police department evaluated school bus stops within the city limits and pinpointed locations that accommodated both...
Plans are underway for its 2nd Annual Fall Festival, a free event that features food trucks, beer, music, professional carnival games, inflatables including two bounce houses, general vendors, community booths, farm animals from several area schools, selfie photo spots, and more. The annual event is sponsored by the GFWC Lake Wales Junior Woman's Club, and will run from 11:00 am until 4:00 pm on Saturday, October 14. at Lake Wailes Park. Event proceeds will fund programs that...
Area teachers are now eligible to apply for individual grants of up to $250 that can fund special classroom activities or programs that can enhance the educational process for their students. The GFWC Lake Wales Junior Woman's Club has announced its Grants for Great Ideas mini-grant program for the 2023-2024 school year. To be eligible, teachers and other school-based professionals that work directly with students must work at an LWCS or PCPS school that has a physical Lake Wa...
Six new patrol officers were sworn in to serve the citizens of Lake Wales during a moving ceremony at the Lake Wales City Administration Building Monday evening. More than 40 residents gathered to hear Chief Chris Velasquez and other members of the department share the stories of the paths that led the men to the local department, and commend their commitment to service. In welcoming the group to the ranks of the local department, Velasquez reminded them and their assembled...
Two Lake Wales men were killed Sunday evening in a pair of shootings, and investigators are seeking reasons. According to reports, the first victim was found in an apartment in the Grove Manor public housing complex around 8:00 pm Sunday suffering from a gunshot wound. Marquese Johnson, 23, was found by witnesses and transported to a local hospital where he died. Witnesses reported that they had seen a man identified as Kendrick Akins leaving the apartment as they arrived,...
Two employees of a popular Lake Wales pizza outlet found themselves arrested Thursday after police alleged that pizza was not the only thing people were buying at the restaurant. According to a statement issued by the Lake Wales Police Department, detectives from the department's Crime Suppression Unit launched an undercover investigation after they received a tip that drugs were being sold by an employee of Pizzano's Pizza. A phone call to restaurant restaurant manager Leon...
Representatives of thirteen area charitable organizations were smiling Thursday evening as they assembled to receive grant awards resulting from the efforts of the Lake Wales Mardi Gras. The event, hosted at Wales Pointe Restaurant, saw the awarding of a total of $26,000 to the groups. The $26,000 raised and donated by the Lake Wales Mardi Gras Committee represents funds raised in donations by sponsors, vendor fees, and sales during the event. The annual charitable donations...
An endangered Florida Black Bear was spotted perched high in an oak tree by walkers using the popular Lake Wailes Trail Thursday morning. The bear was sitting on a high branch, and apparently hoping to avoid being noticed. "It's big, it's a full-adult bear," said walker Robert Mills, who uses the trail daily and was surprised to see it. After the Lake Wales Police Department was notified they quickly called the Florida Game and Fish Conservation Commission, and officers were...
In a long-delayed ruling, the State Attorney's office has announced that their investigation into a exchange of gunfire between police and a suspect last August determined that police use of deadly force was justified. Earnest Borders, 57, of Lake Wales, was killed. A police department K-9, Max, also died in the gunfire. A letter signed by Assistant State Attorney Mark Thomas Levine states that "it is my opinion that Officer Jared Joyner and Officer Esaul Hernandez were justif...
An apparent medical incident that left a driver partially incapacitated ended with a fatal rear-end crash on US 27 at Washington Avenue. The Medical Examiners investigation revealed Mr. Wulff died from a medical episode unrelated to the crash. This was not a traffic homicide as no other persons, to include Mr. Wulff, died as a result of the crash. According to police reports, at approximately 1:18 p.m Monday a 2008 white Chevy panel van driven by Thomas Wulff, 75, of Lake...
Two Haines City men are dead and a third hospitalized following an early morning crash on US Highway 27. Lake Wales Traffic Homicide Investigators determined that a car driven by Aljerume Brooks, age 40 from Haines City failed to stop for the red traffic light while traveling North on Highway 27. Also in the vehicle was Gary Faniel Jr, age 24 and Javarcea Morton, age 23, both of Haines City. Both Faniel and Morton were pronounced dead at the scene. Brooks was transported to...
Police are seeking the whereabouts of a Haines City man who reportedly drove at high speed and ran a red light on US 27, resulting in the deaths of his two passengers. Lake Wales Police have obtained an arrest warrant for 40-year-old Aljerune Brooks of Haines City. An investigation confirmed Brooks was the driver of the Cadillac that failed to stop at the signal at Washington Avenue, crashing into a "yard dog" truck cab owned by Florida's Natural. The driver of the truck,...
Disabilities affect a surprisingly-large percentage of the American population, and too often those physical limitations bring along an unnecessary set of social limitations. The limited ability to enjoy the water, a Florida tradition, is one that can have a solution. A fully and intentionally inclusive water adventure area for those with disabilities, planned for construction at Lake Aurora just east of Lake Wales, is a vision shared by several non-profit groups. Two local...
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...
Lake Wailes Park will again host a day of family fun on Saturday, April 29 as the city celebrates the annual Olmsted Day in the Park. This years' event promises to be bigger and better than ever as plenty of new features and attractions are being added. Food trucks, lots of games for both kids and adults, live bands, and the added feature of "Beers With Pioneers," a beer-tasting event, will make the day fun for every member of the family. For kids, an inflatable obstacle...
Marcus Kirby, a former associate pastor at HighPoint Church in Lake Wales, has been ordered to serve 10 years' probation and pay $67,491 in restitution to his former employer, the Lake Wales Care Center, after pleading no contest to bilking two of the center's clients whose financial accounts he was overseeing. Kirby, 41, who also was a trustee on the Lake Wales Charter School Board, faced up to 3½ years in prison had he been convicted at trial, according to state...
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,...
Lake Wales Police have recovered more than $400,000 worth of stolen property and arrested a 51-year-old man suspected of dealing in stolen property. The Friday February 17, arrest of Billy Joe Byrd by Lake Wales Police detectives came after they received a tip that stolen property was being stored at 254 N Miami Street in Lake Wales. Police are seeking others involved in a wide-spread theft and fencing operation. Detectives obtained permission from the property owner before...
A Lake Wales man is dead after speeding into a slower vehicle on US 27 early Saturday morning. Officers from the Lake Wales Police Department responded to calls reporting a vehicle crash on U.S. Highway 27 at 1:13 A.M. Arriving officers at the scene, near Weikert Ford, found 38-year-old Eliecer Padilla of Lake Wales lying deceased in the north bound lanes. A passenger in his 2015 Chevrolet Camaro, 40-year-old Jeanette Gonzalez of Lake Wales, was also ejected from the car and...
Tragedy struck Friday morning as a McLaughlin Middle School student was killed after being struck by a truck while waiting near a school bus stop in the fog. Lake Wales Police Department reports indicate that Jadin Galindo, 13, was waiting for his school bus in the dark at about 6:15 am when he was struck by a 2013 GMC Sierra truck. According to police reports the alleyway where he was sitting, near the intersection of Miami Street and Dr. JA Wiltshire Avenue, near Florida's N...
Representatives of three different first responder organizations were honored at a special luncheon organized by the Lake Wales Area Chamber of Commerce. The event, held at the Lake Wales Arts Center on Thursday, is the second such annual recognition event run by the Chamber, and apparently the only one in this part of Florida. The top honorees, Firefighter EMT George Gibson of Polk County Fire & Rescue, (LtoR) Deputy Sheriff Steven Mills of the Polk County Sheriff's Office,...
UPDATE: Suspect Dontavious Grant is in custody after his arrest without incident in Winter Haven. Law enforcement would like to thank the public for their assistance in this case. Lake Wales detectives are searching for a suspect involved in a New Year's Eve shooting that occurred in the 700 block of North Scenic Highway. During an investigation, detectives identified Dontavious Grant a suspect in the shooting. Grant, 29, frequents Lake Wales and Winter Haven. On January 6,...
Lake Wales Police have reported the arrest of Trenton Shane Tillman, 25, of Lake Wales, who was being sought by police after a theft of multiple weapons from Loan Star Pawn in Lake Wales on Friday December 23. Tillman turned himself in to Lake Wales police after learning that he was being sought. The suspect was identified by police using camera footage from the store. During the investigation detectives also identified two other individuals who they believe assisted Tillman...
