Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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AdventHealth Lake Wales has launched a Vertical Bay Program within its Emergency Department, allowing patients faster access to the emergency room. This new program comes as emergency departments nationwide face growing challenges. Through AdventHealth Lake Wales' Vertical Bay Program, beds and rooms are available to the sickest patients who need them the most, and nearly every patient is seen and has their needs addressed quickly and efficiently. Patients who don't require...
A Lake Wales teacher is facing three felony charges after a violent assault at a local home. Polk County Sheriff's deputies arrested 51-year-old Thomas Griffin, a middle school teacher at McLaughlin Middle-High School in Lake Wales, charging him with burglary with assault, false imprisonment, and battery by strangulation. According to witnesses, on December 14 Griffin arrived at the residence of a woman with whom he had a prior romantic involvement and began banging on the...
Two men were killed Monday after entering SR 60 into the path of a Freightliner tractor-trailer rig at the intersection of West Lake Road just west of the Lake Wales city limits. First responders responded to the crash scene at around 9:38 pm, where they found two men deceased in a white 2002 Chevy 2500 work van operated by Florida Degreasers, a restaurant service company. The preliminary investigation, based on evidence and witness statements, indicated that the Chevy van...
The Social Security Administration continues to make it easier for you to access programs and benefits. The official website at www.ssa.gov offers a convenient way to apply online for benefits. Using the SSA website you can apply for: • Retirement or Spouse's Benefits – You must be at least 61 years and 9 months and want your benefits to start in no more than 4 months. Apply at www.ssa.gov/retirement. • Disability Benefits – You can use our online application at www....
Friday dawned as another day without power for thousands of residents of southeast Polk after the area after Hurricane Milton raked the area with 100 mile-per-hour winds and heavy rainfall before dawn Thursday. Shattered or uprooted trees, some punching holes in roofs, along with damage to signs, sheds, utilities and fences were visible across the area. Flooded roads and intersections delayed responses to the disaster, a common scene as hurricanes increase in both frequency...
Dr. Francisco J. Ancaya, age 91, passed away in Tampa on September 8, 2024. In Loving Memory of Dr. Ancaya, who passed away of natural causes. He is survived by his wife, Eduvigia, two sons, Francisco and Emilio, a daughter, Teresa, seven grandchildren, and a great-grandchild. He was pre-deceased by his parents, two brothers, and a sister. Dr. Ancaya had founded the Lake Wales Walk-In-Clinic and had provided medical care to the people of Lake Wales and surrounding communities...
The latest update from the National Hurricane Center in Miami has raised the stakes for a direct strike upon southeast Polk County and the Lake Wales area. Residents are strongly urged to rush preparations to completion. The 11 a.m. NHC report said that with sustained winds of 155 MPH, Hurricane Milton is continuing to approach Florida. Continued intensification is expected, and Milton should be at Category 5 this afternoon with sustained winds of 160 MPH or more, accompanied...
William E. Zeigler, age 74, passed away on September 14, 2024, at Lakeland Regional Health and Medical Center. He was born on November 5, 1949, in Springfield, MO. He was an Engineering Business Manager for Jacobs Engineering. He enjoyed his family and being in nature. He is survived by a loving family that includes his wife Pamela Zeigler of Lakeland, daughters Jessica Hicks (Fred) of Belmont, MA & Maegan Neely (Greg) of Lakeland, brother Robert "Bobby" Zeigler of Orlando,...
County Manager Bill Beasley has accepted the resignation of Hezedean A. Smith, DM, effective Monday, September 30, 2024. Smith’s resignation follows release of a report commissioned by the Board of County Commissioners that reviewed management of the Fire Rescue Division (PCFR). “After meeting twice with Fire Chief Smith and Deputy County Manager Joe Halman, I have placed Chief Hezedean Smith on two weeks of Administrative Leave, which will precede his resignation,” said...
Dozens of members of the AdventHealth Heart of Florida and Lake Wales hospitals came together Friday, September 6, to celebrate the start of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers season. Team members donned red Bucs shirts and struck their best Buccaneer poses to cheer the team on as they get ready to open their season on Sunday, September 8, against the Washington Commanders at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. As the exclusive hospital of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, AdventHealth aims to...
The Circle of Friends, a valued community-service program serving the Lake Wales area, has hit a crisis after expected grants failed to materialize, forcing the sale of a new campus acquired only last year. The nonprofit Circle of Friends, founded in 2002, has relied on grants, sponsors, and donors to invest in the lives of special needs students who have aged out of regular school programs. A Tuesday night board meeting was attended by a group of parents and a wave of...
A Lake Wales mother was arrested after leaving her three-year-old child unattended in a vehicle while she kept an appointment at the Central Florida Health Care clinic on Thursday morning. Jykerria Allen of Lake Wales was told by clinic staff that she couldn't' keep the child with her during her appointment. She told staff she would have a relative retrieve the child, but allegedly simply left the child alone in the vehicle. A witness reportedly heard the child crying and...
Benny A. Watson, Sr. of Bartow, age 86, passed away on August 10, 2024, at Lake Wales Medical Center. He was born on October 28, 1937, in Trenton, FL. He was a United States Navy Veteran. He was an Electrical Instrument Technician in the mining industry. He enjoyed fishing, running 5K races, biking and archery. He is survived by his loving family that includes his wife Christine Watson of Bartow, daughters Cindy Sterling (Robert) of Virginia Beach, VA & Jennifer Hunt (David)...
As the economy continues to improve in the Lake Wales area, the Orange Grove, a large and long-underused shopping center on SR 60 east at 11th Street, is showing multiple signs of new life as tenants snap up space in the sprawling plaza, once left behind by outward growth. New businesses planned for the center include a Stone Cabin Coffee and Cheesecake restaurant, the fourth location for that family-owned chain, offering elaborately-decorated cheesecakes in a wide variety of...
The countdown is on to the start of school for Florida students and their families. It's a time that brings a lot of excitement, but no one wants their child to get sick at the start of the year. However, doctors at AdventHealth say there are steps families can take now to make sure their child stays as healthy as possible. Medical experts say getting a back-to-school physical examination and making sure children are up to date with their recommended vaccinations is critical...
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...
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...
With the July 4th Holiday just days away, AdventHealth emergency room doctors are now urging caution when handling fireworks. This comes as a new report from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) highlights the hazards posed by consumer use of fireworks. The report reveals that in 2023, it received reports of eight deaths and an estimated 9,700 injuries involving fireworks. The report also shows that between 2008 and 2023, injuries from fireworks have increased...
The boom in development of new fast-casual restaurants in Lake Wales is continuing unabated, pacing the area's fast-growing residential population. New conceptual applications have been submitted for both a Chipotle Mexican Grille and a Chick-fil-A restaurant. Pre-application meetings have been completed for both, according to city officials. Most of the newly-announced sites are clustered around the Eagle Ridge Mall on US 27 at Chalet Suzanne Road. An announced new Dunkin...
A Lake Wales woman has been arrested after she allegedly intentionally drove over her husband, who was holding an infant, injuring them both on Monday afternoon. The 16-month-old child remains hospitalized with serious injuries. The incident followed a domestic argument between Aaliyah Ross, 27, of Lake Wales, and her husband, Devin Ross, 25, during which he reportedly walked out of the house carrying the child before throwing a concrete block onto her car. As the argument...
AdventHealth welcomed nearly 50 new resident doctors into its health care system with a White Coat Ceremony Friday, marking the start of their post-graduate training. The new graduates will help alleviate shortage of physicians locally, part of a nationwide problem. AdventHealth operates hospital facilities in Lake Wales, Davenport, Sebring, and Lake Placid, as well as a new Urgent Care facility on Cypress Gardens Boulevard. AdventHealth leaders also honored the first...
Tommy C. Gaffney, age 63, passed away June 14, 2024, at Bartow Regional Medical Center in Bartow. He was born on May 16, 1961, in Haines City, FL. He worked in Records Management for Polk County Board of County Commissioners. He was a Representative for the Florida Mobile Homes Organization, former Teamster Representative and former Moose Lodge Governor. He enjoyed spending time with family, traveling and playing jokes. He was preceded in death by parents Raymond Gaffney &...
After over two decades serving the Lake Wales community, Montella's Fish Market is closing its doors for good. Owners Lisa and Mike "Junior" Montella have decided that they will retire after running successful fish markets in Florida for 37 years. The property at 1341 SR 60 East may be in for a big change. "The buyer is going to lease it," Montella stated. "He's an investor." Lake Wales News sources indicate that the purchaser of the property scouts, purchases and leases...
Farewell to Walter Elder Ferguson III, a gallant human being, who passed away at age 72 on April 26, 2024, of natural causes. A Celebration of Life will be from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 8 at Lake Howard Heights, 650 North Lake Howard, Winter Haven, presented by his family and classmates. Born on Feb. 26, 1952, with cerebral palsy, a lifelong condition that affects movement and coordination, Ferguson lived an extraordinary life. When his mother died in a car accident...
Stroke is a leading cause of death in the United States, including Florida, with an even higher risk in Polk, Hardee and Highlands Counties. Florida Health Department data shows in 2022, Highlands County had an age-adjusted stroke death rate of about 64 per 100,000 people, compared to Florida's overall rate of 47.6. Similarly, Polk County had a stroke death rate of around 54 per 100,000 people, also higher than the state average. Hardee County had the highest age-adjusted...
