Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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A local educator received a visit from the "Surprise Patrol" today and learned that he has been selected as a finalist in the Polk County School System's annual awards, which are given to the teacher and paraeducator of the year. Matthew Brojanowski now teaches English at Roosevelt Academy, located on East Street in Lake Wales. He has had a remarkable career in education. Brojanowski first got involved in schools as a parent volunteer, then worked as a substitute, and went on...
A forum to hear from four candidates for the Lake Wales City Commission is planned for mid-March to allow voters to learn about the goals and platforms prior to the April 4 election. Two seats on the five-person commission are at stake in the vote. The American Association of University Women Lake Wales Branch will join with the GFWC Woman's Club of Lake Wales in sponsoring the forum on March 13th. The candidates for the two seats include Deputy Mayor Robin Gibson, who will...
An apparent lack of clear policies and procedures caused an hour-long display of citizen disappointment and anger at the Lake Wales City Commission meeting Tuesday night following a decision by Mayor Jack Hilligoss to remove a generic resolution recognizing Pride Month from the meeting agenda. Proclamations are commonly used to recognize the accomplishments of community groups and individuals, or special observances and are normally a public relations tool for the city. The...
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...
Following a 16-month undercover investigation, Polk County Sheriff's Office undercover Narcotics detectives and the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force made 29 arrests in the Lake Wales area and obtained three arrest warrants related to the trafficking, sale, and possession of illegal narcotics. The operation was dubbed the "Bell Gang Blues." Seventeen of the suspects and two still at large were from Lake Wales. During the investigation, detectives and agents...
Well into the 20th century, bank accounts, credit cards, and household finances were legally left to the control of men. Women's lack of financial freedom was one of General Federation of Women's Club's founder, Jane Cunningham Croly, foundational rallying cries for women across the country. GFWC Clubhouses have come to play a significant role in the preservation of America's historic buildings. Many clubs are situated within historic buildings or were constructed or...
After nearly eight years chasing bad guys and sniffing out drugs, Lake Wales Police K9 Badge is hanging up his collar. After his retirement, the Belgian Malinois is transitioning from working dog to family pet in the home of his handler, Officer Dale Hampton. Badge basked in the attention at his retirement party Friday, June 19, playing with his stuffed toys and accepting "good boys" from about 50 people who came out to wish him well. The partygoers got to take home a special...
Pastors, church leaders and other concerned people plan to assemble near the gazebo at Lake Wailes Lake at 7 a.m. Tuesday, June 9 to pray for the city, state and nation. Lake Wales City Commissioner Curtis Gibson presented the idea to Pastor Walter Nelson of IMPACT Church, who immediately started spreading the word. Rather than choose specific people to offer prayers, Nelson sent out an email, providing a corporate prayer for all assembled to use. He suggested bringing the...
McLaughlin Middle & Fine Arts Academy is looking for volunteers to serve on a Community Assessment Team to help the school access local resources to improve student achievement. The public is invited to attend the first team meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5 at McLaughlin, located at 800 S. 4th St. in Lake Wales. The Florida Department of Education requires its designated "turnaround schools" to form the teams. Community Assessment Teams are comprised of parents, educators, lo...
Polk County Sheriff's Office Crime Scene Technician Kimberly Kinsley, 40, died Sept. 30 from a sudden illness. A Celebration of Life service with law enforcement honors is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Saturday, October 19 at the First Baptist Church of Lake Wales with family greeting friends at 9:30 a.m. She was born June 1, 1979. She dedicated 18 years of her life to public service. She was preceded in death by her father, Granville Kinsley in 2017 and her brother, Granville...
It's a new school year at McLaughlin Middle & Fine Arts Academy - and it's also shaping up to be a year like no other. From the school's administrative structure to team-building activities for staff members, from strategies designed to cultivate students' school pride to an outpouring of support from the community, it's clear that positive change is taking place at McLaughlin. "It's a new era," said Principal Sharon Chipman. "We're building a team, a culture, and the...
A new partnership between the Lake Wales Charter Schools system and other community stakeholders including Lake Wales Medical Center could truly be life changing for local students. Along with Victory Ridge Academy, the Center for Independent Living in Central Florida, Inc., and Florida Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, the entities are combining to launch Project SEARCH, a nine month immersive internship program for students with disabilities ages 18-22 years old. This...
Maria Tovar just achieved two major milestones: she obtained her high school equivalency diploma (GED) and became the 100th person to accomplish that goal with the help of the Lake Wales Family Literacy Academy. Cleaning houses for a living and taking care of her 5- and 8-year-old children kept her so busy that there were times she thought about quitting. She dropped out of Lake Wales High School her junior year and wasn't sure she would ever be able to earn a GED or go to...
Vice Mayor Robin Gibson issued a proclamation Tuesday, June 4 designating the week of June 8-15 as LGBTQ Pride Week in Lake Wales. Lake Wales members of PFLAG were on hand to accept the proclamation. Local PFLAG leader David Jones said 60 percent of Floridians had human rights protections, but they are not in force in Polk County. He asked the city commission to consider adopting a local human rights ordinance to protect all citizens from discrimination. Commissioners did not...
Proud parents, grandparents, neighbors and friends came out with balloons, flowers, smiles and a few tears Friday, May 24 to celebrate the graduation of 351 Lake Wales High School seniors. Legion Field was standing-room-only for the annual celebration, marking the passage of the Class of 2019 into the "real world." Much of the ceremony was traditional. The JROTC color guard marched in and presented the flag for the pledge of allegiance. The band and orchestra played the proces...
Three former professional athletes, a coach who won two state titles, and one of the program's most ardent supporters make up the inaugural class for the newly-created Highlander Hall of Fame. Pro football players Lorenzo Hampton and Buford Long, along with pro baseball player Pat Borders, softball coach Nancy Denton, and "The Voice of the Highlanders" Richard "Dick" Howell will be inducted May 4 during a dinner ceremony at Lake Wales Country Club. "The Highlander Booster...
Love is in the air at the Lake Wales Public Library celebrating its annual membership drive during February. "This is a time for everyone, especially library support groups, to recognize the value of libraries," says Glenda Morgan, president of the Lake Wales Library Association - Friends of the Library. "All the work has been done without government funds because we raised $89,000 from people who give and give and give," Morgan states. "It's so exciting to see our local commu...
