Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
Sorted by date Results 101 - 125 of 346
Several dozen Rotarians, area business people, and many of their customers attended a "Ridge Taking Care of Business" networking opportunity Thursday evening at Native Imagery in Lake Wales. Guests were treated to live music by singer and guitarist Mickenzie Peisher, along with a variety of beverages and a very tasty buffet provided by Wales Point Restaurant. The event was organized by members of Rotary on the Ridge, a 44-member group that meets for after-hours connections on...
A "commercial fire" alert at Eagle Ridge Mall that went out on a 911 emergency channel gave some folks a start on Sunday afternoon, but happily turned out to be "not much," according to Lt. Matt Hulen of the Lake Wales Fire Department. The fire turned out to be a burning motor in rooftop equipment. The fire caused the closure of Lake Wales Bowl and Entertainment, the large bowling center and restaurant at the mall. According to witness reports, smoke was observed coming from...
After a two-day spell of autumn-like weather to mark the official start of the season this weekend, summer-like rains are expected to return to Florida, but the threat of a tropical storm or hurricane remains distant. Computer models are showing a benign pattern remaining over the central Atlantic basin, with protective upper-level winds deflecting storms northward and away from Florida. After the rapid pop-up of Tropical Storm Ophelia just off the east coast of Florida last...
A 37 year old Tampa resident was arrested following quick action by Lake Wales Police officers who responded to a reported robbery. The suspect was charged with stealing a $6,000 necklace from Kay's Jewelers in the Eagle Ridge Mall Wednesday. Officers from the LWPD were dispatched to Kay Jewelers mid-afternoon following a reported robbery. Officers were told that a woman, later identified as identified as Shaneka S. Webb, entered Kay's Jewelers and asked to see a gold...
As the 2023 hurricane season peaks this week, storm threats to Florida appear to be at low ebb. Conditions in the tropical Atlantic basin are continuing to deflect storms northward. As once powerful Hurricane Lee makes landfall on the coasts of Maine and Nove Scotia, Floridians breathed a sigh of relief. At is peak the storm reached the much-feared Category Five intensity, but Florida received nothing more than dangerously high surf and beach erosion. This week the first of a...
While multiple named storms have swirled harmlessly all week in the mid-Atlantic, a weak tropical wave that emerged off the coast of Africa several days ago is now the system to watch for Florida. The National Hurricane Center in Miami is now assigning the system a near-100 percent chance of development during the coming three days, during which time it is forecast to be approaching the area of the Virgin Islands. By that time it should be a powerful hurricane. Despite still...
Precautions are advised for strong winds and heavy rains due to the approach of Hurricane Idalia, still expected to move near Florida's Gulf Coast overnight on Wednesday. The 11:00 am, update from the National Hurricane Center in Miami indicates that the center of the storm is still on a generally northward track of five degrees, indicating a slight eastward movement. Any increased eastward adjustment in the course would raise the potential impacts of the storm in the east Pol...
The threat of a direct strike from Hurricane Idalia on east Polk and the Lake Wales Ridge area continues to diminish this morning as the storm has continued on a northerly track with no sign of a dreaded turn to the east. That much-feared jog would bring the storm ashore on Florida's populous west coast rather than the sparsely-populated Big Bend area. Nevertheless, precautions continue in Polk County for anticipated tropical storm-force winds and the possibility for heavy...
The 5:00 pm update from the National Hurricane Center contains some positive news for the Lake Wales area as the most recent model runs for future movements of Tropical Storm Idalia trended very slightly to the west, which would keep the center of the storm away from the central Florida coastline, aiming it instead for the sparsely-populated Big Bend area of the Gulf Coast. On the cautionary side, however, is an increased expectation of rapid intensification, assuring that it...
The rapid intensification of Tropical Storm Idalia into a major hurricane just off the west coast of Florida has Lake Wales area residents on edge. Three times in the last 19 years similar forecast tracks led to storms that turned east ahead of forecast, causing direct strikes on the city. Now forecast to become a hurricane today (Monday) before entering the Gulf of Mexico, Idalia is expected to reach Major storm status with a high likelihood of rapid intensification due to...
The possibility of a tropical storm or hurricane impacting Florida and potentially threatening the Lake Wales area is increasing as models are indicating the potential development of a new system in the western Caribbean. If the system strengthens, it would likely move near the western tip of Cuba before entering the Gulf of Mexico and approaching the west coast of Florida. The waters of both the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico are far warmer than historic records, potentially...
A significant shift in weather patterns in both the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean basins has increased chances of tropical storm development that could potentially threaten Florida and the Lake Wales Ridge area. The Atlantic hurricane season is heating up just as the historical peak weeks of the six-month period approach. Models are now showing an increased likelihood of storms that could affect Florida. Water temperatures in the Atlantic basin are at record levels, as is the tot...
As the 19th anniversary of the devasting impact of Hurricane Charley approaches on August 13, many Ridge area residents turn a wary eye on the tropics. Despite "super-heated" waters in most of the Atlantic basin the 2023 hurricane season has, so far, remained a no-show. A global weather shift may be the cause. A phenomenon called the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, or PDO, features alternating waves of colder or warmer waters in the eastern Pacific. It has huge influence on...
A new 64-unit infill subdivision received approval from the Lake Wales City Commission Tuesday night after being heralded as "magnificent" by Deputy Mayor Robin Gibson for its compliance with the commission's set of eight "aspirations" for future development. The project is planned to include a mix of townhomes and single-family residences on a site that has long stymied would-be developers. Largely land-locked, the nine-acre parcel lies between Quails Bluff apartments, and...
After a sputtering start to the expected summer rainy season, a wetter pattern may soon take hold over the Lake Wales Ridge area, but it could open the door for a busier Hurricane season as well. The deadly "heat dome" that has baked much of the nation and lingered for months was caused by a static pattern of mid-level winds that is finally breaking down. The unusual atmospheric traffic-jam in the west-to-east flow of weather has caused Florida to fall under a regime of strong...
You can expect to meet crowds of bargain-hunters on one area roadway as the 16th annual Ridge Scenic Highway "39 Mile Yard Sale" takes place on on Saturday, November 4th. The event typically draws thousands of visitors from across central Florida and beyond, coming to seek unusual finds and great bargains brought forth from barns, garages, attics, and other treasure storerooms. The sale runs from 8:00 am until 2:00 pm along the entire length of the Ridge Scenic Highway,...
City staff in the Lake Wales Public Works department are working on three projects that include replacing antiquated water lines, increasing water flow, and adding select neighborhoods to the city’s central sewer system, eliminating septic systems in those areas. The enhancements are part of the Public Works Department’s master plans for water, stormwater and wastewater. The multi-year plans are designed to target expansion, stormwater quality and increase water reusability. ...
It's Barbenheimer weekend...the other half! I saw Oppenheimer first, but now I've caught up by viewing Barbie, the other blockbuster movie, this past weekend. Barbie is a 2023 American live-action comedy film directed by Greta Gerwig and written by Gerwig and Noah Baumbach. The film stars Margot Robbie as Barbie, Ryan Gosling as Ken, America Ferrera, Simu Liu, Kate McKinnon, Alexandra Shipp, Will Ferrell, and Issa Rae. Rhea Perlman, Carla from Cheers, makes an appearance t...
Movie goers were really excited this past weekend to have two big movie openings that did not involve superheroes. As a film fan and reviewer I was mostly excited about Oppenheimer. Oppenheimer is a challenging film, but it is also a rewarding one, well worth the three hours it takes to watch it. It is a film that will stay with you long after you have seen it. If you are interested in history, science, or the human condition, then I highly recommend seeing Oppenheimer. Christ...
A face and voice familiar to most Polk County residents will soon be sharing lots of information about Lake Wales as Ken Suarez begins his duties. No stranger to the camera, the long-time Tampa Bay-area broadcaster recently left his full-time job as a television journalist to begin serving the City of Lake Wales as part-time host of a video series about events in the area. Suarez worked for years at WINK TV in Fort Myers before moving into the Tampa market almost 35 years...
A new bicycle and pedestrian trail will continue the expansion of a growing network connecting neighborhoods across Lake Wales following city commission approval of an interlocal agreement with Polk County on Wednesday. Creation of a functional network of trails is a repeated recommendation contained in the Lake Wales Connected plan, cited as a significant contributor to the health and well-being of residents. The Ridge Scenic Highway Trail segment will extend 3,975 feet and...
A 300-unit "luxury" townhome development may soon provide a different option for home-buyers in Lake Wales. The complex dubbed Ridge Luxury Townhomes will include 55 new buildings to be located off Old Scenic Highway adjacent to the Duke Energy maintenance facility. Lake Caroline, a small lake just south of the nearly 30-acre site, will offer views for some units, and a community center with a proposed water feature will also be constructed. The project is one of several...
Starting this week the Lake Wales News will begin publishing historic reproductions of the Lake Wales highlander newspapers from 100 years ago. The images, retrieved from the digital archives of the Lake Wales Public Library, will portray the front page of each week's newspaper, and will be published in a new subsection of the Ridge Life section. The 1923 Highlander was a weekly publication that tracked the growth and progress of the fledgling community, which had only...
An accepted phase one final plat for a new subdivision will allow construction to begin at Harper Estates, a 67-lot development that was approved by the Lake Wales city commission last year. The first phase will consist of 29 lots. Harper Estates will lie adjacent to Orange Lake, a small body of water on the south side of Mountain Lake Road just west of US 27, near Speedway Auto Sales. The site is also adjacent to a tract of the Lake Wales Ridge National Wildlife Refuge,...
Two large residential developments proposed by the same developer recently met with very different responses from the Lake Wales city commission. After unanimously approving a 930-lot single-family subdivision known as the Grove at Orchard Hills, the commission's 3-2 vote rejected a neighboring 300-unit project brought by the same developer. David Waronker of Celebration has been the developer of record for several large subdivision projects in Lake Wales, including the expans...
