Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
Sorted by date Results 526 - 550 of 1174
By now a familiar voice to fans at Friday night football games, one local volunteer has made a highly successful career out of childhood inspiration, and a thread of football tradition runs through it. Local son Kent Lilly has become something of a legend in his own right. Lilly grew up in Lake Wales, and after Lake Wales High School went on to graduate from the University of Florida with a degree in accounting before heading off to law school at Florida State University,...
The 2021 Pioneer Days celebration of history is itself history, but Lake Wales History Museum Director Jennifer D'hollander is still celebrating. "Oh my gosh yes!" she responded when asked whether she was pleased with the weekend she organized. "I was delighted!" D'hollander cited the bigger-than-ever crowds that poured into town for the annual event. "We had more marketing that ever, true, but then people are just so ready to get back to interacting at events like this." The...
A suspect has been arrested in a stabbing attack that left a victim in critical condition, according to Lake Wales Police Department Deputy Chief David Black II. The reportedly unprovoked attack happened on Sunday, October 24, shortly before 9:00 pm near the intersection of Miami Street and Bullard Avenue. According to reports the victim was walking when he was suddenly assaulted. He was found with serious stab wounds and flown by a medical evacuation helicopter to Lakeland...
The Tiger Creek bridge replacement project, which has kept Walk in the Water Road closed for months, is substantially complete, according to Bill Skelton, Project Management Liaison for Polk County Roads and Drainage Division. The roadway was opened Friday afternoon but will close again temporarily on Monday morning to make repairs "related to the pavement cross-slope in the curve of the northbound approach to the bridge" according to Skelton. The roadway should be reopened...
Want to attend Polk State College but struggling to afford it since you don't have a good job? Go to work at Legoland Florida Resort and you can accomplish both goals at once. As part of their new Building Higher Prepaid Scholarship Program, Legoland Florida Resort is extending their partnership with Polk State College. The program allows employees the opportunity to achieve employment with the resort and prepaid scholarships to the College. Legoland Florida is counting on...
Geraldine Jewel Thomas Woods, 80 of Lake Wales, died at Winter Haven Hospital, Winter Haven, Florida. Born in Belle Glade, Florida. She was a retired Educator, Public Schools in Polk County, Florida and a graduate of Bethune Cookman University formerly Bethune Cookman College, Daytona Beach, Florida. Member of New Divine Church of God by Faith, Lake Wales. Services: Saturday, October 30, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. Location: New Divine Church of God by Faith, 640 Burns Avenue, Lake...
Remember that library book, and the DVD you checked out last year and forgot to return? Yeah, that one... Well, there's good news. Now you don't have to pay the fine! Just bring a few foodstuffs, help some needy families during the holidays, and you're off the hook! The Lake Wales Public Library is conducting their annual Holiday Food for Fines program beginning November 1. The program runs through December 31. Food for Fines is an annual fine amnesty program that provides...
The massive $45 million project to replace the obsolete bridge over US 27 in Lake Wales is continuing apace, but the comings months will see multiple traffic interruptions, the Florida Department of Transportation has confirmed. The bridge will carry State Road 60 over the federal highway. Corine Burgess, Community Outreach manager for the project on behalf of FDOT, has confirmed that construction in the middle of the Central Avenue-US 27 intersection will be disrupted again...
New features and sections added to LakeWalesNews.Net have driven skyrocketing readership since September 1, reaching well over 80,000 page views during the first month, according to statistics captured by Internet analytics. New Day Market Research acquired the online newspaper on that date and has since significantly enhanced the publication's reach and interest. "We are extremely pleased by the community reaction to our added features like the graphic Community Calendar," sa...
Blacksmiths, crafters, and thousands of their admirers turned out for the annual Pioneer Days today in Lake Wales. The event, sponsored by the Lake Wales History Museum, runs through the weekend. Great weather seemed to draw out the crowds for the event, and they found lots to do and admire, with demonstrations of lots of pioneer crafts from broom-making to canoe carving. Antique tractors and cars, plenty of live music, a dozen food trucks, a beer garden and the annual...
Attracting wildlife to our yards by planning and planting for their needs is simple and satisfying. If we supply adequate food, water and shelter, we can increase the number and variety of species that visit our properties, improving our chances of observing them more closely while providing the habitat they need to survive. The Lake Wales Ridge is home to scores of "endemic" species that exist nowhere else on earth. Because almost all of Florida was submerged as recently as t...
Enrollment for the Spring 2022 Semester at Polk State College will start on Monday, October 25, 2021, with priority registration for students who have completed at least 50 percent of their program requirements. Open enrollment will begin on Monday, November 1, 2021, and classes will start on Wednesday, January 5, 2022. Currently enrolled students can register for classes in Passport, while prospective students must submit a free online application to Polk State. Dual...
Building is booming in Polk County and so are construction-related thefts, according to feedback received by the Polk County Building Division. “It really isn’t a surprise to us,” said Building Director Benjamin Dunn. “With the shortages of supplies, skyrocketing inflation and supply chain issues, unsecured building supplies are a beacon to criminals looking for an easy pay day.” But a local construction jobsite doesn’t have to be easy pickings. This is a problem that both homeowners and builders can work together to...
Wielding spades and smiles, some two dozen volunteers planted 30 young trees along Fourth Street South in Lake Wales Saturday morning, the first of more than 1,000 trees Lake Wales Heritage intends to plant over several years to complete a historic landscape plan. "People don't know much about Olmsted," volunteer Preston Troutman told a group of 15 students from Lake Wales High School. The students, members of the school's Interact Club, had just help complete the first...
Finding a new superintendent for the Lake Wales Charter School System is a painstaking process, with huge focus on finding the ideal candidate, according to Bill Vogel. Vogel, 72, is himself a former school superintendent who is providing services to the Charter Schools Board of Trustees as a consultant to the Florida School Board Association. "We're very impressed with the commitment of the Board of Trustees to finding the right candidate," he told the LakeWalesNews.Net...
The Lake Wales History Museum will honor Gladys Howell as the 2021 Lake Wales Pioneer of the Year as part of the 45th Annual Pioneer Days Festival at Lake Wailes Park. The recognition celebration will be held during the festival on Saturday, October 23 at 10:00 am. The Lake Wales History Museum's Pioneer Days Festival is synonymous with Lake Wales history and culture, and celebrates the heritage of the greater Polk County community. The two-day event will feature 50 craft &...
Dayanara Ortiz Nieves of Lakeshore passed away Tuesday, October 5, 2021 at Advent Health Lake Wales. She was born May 29, 1993 in Puerto Rico; she moved to Lake Wales four years ago. Dayanara was a Nutritional Assistant for the Polk County School District. She enjoyed going to the beach and hosting friends and family. She was an excellent baker and an avid Boston Red Sox fan, and an unbreakable faith in Christ Jesus. Dayanara is survived by her wife of three years, Kayla...
Lake Wales will likely have to tweak the borders of its four voting districts since the 2020 U.S. Census showed the city had grown by about 15 percent in the last decade. The official census count in 2020 was 16,351 residents, up from 14.225 in 2010. In order to redraw voting district lines, a special five-person Census Redistricting Committee will be formed to suggest the new boundaries, which will then have to be formally adopted by the city commission. The city has four...
The Florida Department of Education has finally submitted a plan outlining how federal relief funds will be used to help schools recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The plan is four months late and Florida was the last state in the nation to submit one. On the line is $2.3 billion in additional COVID relief funds, adding up to a total $15 billion earmarked for Florida's COVID recovery in schools. The Florida Phoenix has been writing about the issue for months now, with the...
Cindy Michelle Lambeth of Indian Lake Estates passed away Sunday, Oct 3, 2021 at her residence. She was born February 4, 1981 in Lake Wales to Wayne and Debbie Lambeth. Cindy was a configuration analyst for Ferguson Enterprises and an adjunct professor at Polk State College. She loved to travel and had a great sense of humor, was big in education, and had a strong work ethic. Cindy is survived by her son, Brian Wilson of Indian Lake Estates; father, Wayne Lambeth of Lake...
A lighted football field proposed for Washington Park near US 27 is expected to make a big difference to hundreds of young people involved in two Lake Wales youth football leagues. The new facility is proposed to be built by Polk County Parks and Recreation using Community Development Block Grant funds. CDBG funds are restricted to projects serving underserved neighborhoods and communities. Among users of the new football facility are likely to be the Lake Wales Youth Football...
William Paul Creech, age 68, passed away on Friday, September 17th, 2021, while at the Lake Wales Hospital. Born on November 13, 1952 and originally from Greenville, Alabama, he lived in Lake Wales, Polk County, Florida for most of his adult life. He worked for the state of Florida as an Inspector. In 1992, he met the love of his life, Barbara Waddle, at an IHop. He loved cooking and spending time with his family. William was preceded in death by his father, William Parmer...
Students and parents involved in the Polk County Public Schools may wish to offer comments to the School System about the future direction of Polk Public Schools. According to officials at the county-wide system, they are seeking public input to create a new strategic plan to improve schools and better serve students. A community survey has been developed, and stakeholders are being invited to tell them what they think are the top qualities for an ideal PCPS graduate. The...
Ora "Oz" Caldwell of Lake Wales passed away September 9th due to complications of Covid-19. Known to many by his nickname of "the Great One," Caldwell was a graduate of West Point and served for many years in the office of the Public Defender in Polk County. He was known to many in the Lake Wales area as a man of generous spirit and manner. "He was an officer and a gentleman," said former Public Defender Marion Moorman. "He was a fantastic lawyer, a true trial lawyer who had...
A variety of area organizations including those providing support for the impacts of Covid-19 in our communities are now eligible to receive American Rescue Act funds made available by Congress and the President to speed recovery from the effects of the pandemic. UPDATE: The County has issued a modification to the American Rescue Plan application process that will require those seeking funding to request an application be sent to them. To be considered for a portion of the...
