Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
Sorted by date Results 201 - 225 of 233
The long-delayed completion of the Walesbilt Hotel redevelopment project is no doubt as frustrating for city officials as it is for many residents. Now it seems that personal frustrations stemming from that delayed project may threaten yet another potential redevelopment concept. When the City of Lake Wales finally gained clear title to the Walesbilt Hotel in 2007, it seemed that a solution to the long-vacant building was on the horizon. Yet city fathers bungled the opportunity, and whiffed on the chance to seriously consider...
Wow! It's hard to believe our Lake Wales online news site is almost 1-month-old. We did a "soft launch" with little fanfare Feb. 13 so we could load the site with great content before most people even got their first look. Our online readership is growing daily and many more are accessing the highlights on our Facebook page. In the last five days our posts reached more than 2,000 people, and more than half engaged in some way. We're the "new kid on the block," but we're...
Like this owlet our new baby, LakeWalesNews.net, is perched to watch our community from a vantage point not from a safe branch on a tree, but on the ground where life and community are happening each and every day. We know it will take time to develop and strengthen our wings. Our sustenance does not come from our mother's timely feedings. It is fed to us by the members-residents, visitors, businesses and organizations-who are concerned that Lake Wales's flight path will be...
Three individuals, two businesses and one service organization will be honored Thursday, May 7 at the annual fundraising gala hosted by the Lake Wales Area Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Council. The event theme is "Feeling Groovy," and many attendees are expected to dress in costumes from the 1970s. The event is scheduled from 6-9 p.m. in the Lake Ashton Banquet Hall. Tickets are $75 for individuals and $1,000 for a table of 8. Other sponsorship levels are...
Mahalak Auto Group is proud to partner with the American Heart Association during "stroke month" to raise awareness for better health and provide educational information on preventing heart disease. In May, Mahalak Auto Group is urging all Americans to support healthy living and the work of the American Heart Association by donating at the point of sale. The campaign will allow consumers to think about their reasons to live longer, healthier lives and to give in honor of...
Losing a spouse is a traumatic event. It drains your emotions and makes it hard to focus on simple daily tasks, let alone financial matters. Unfortunately, financial obligations don't stop for grief; there are bills to be paid and decisions to be made. Taking an active role in understanding the key financial issues you could face before they happen can help you implement a plan that will bring more confidence and clarity to your life. Your Journey to Financial Well-Being The...
When it comes to love and money, tying the financial knot involves adjustments and compromise. By understanding expectations, setting common goals, and mapping out life as a couple, you can build a healthy financial foundation for the future, together. When two become one Creating a life together brings with it a whole new meaning to the word compromise: morning bathroom time, the "good side" of the bed, the TV remote, Saturday plans, and holidays with family. While you want...
Do not... And, I mean this... Do. NOT. Say: "But I have so much experience..." "I have 30 years' experience..." "You can't learn what I know just coming out of school..." Stop! Really, just stop. I know you worked your whole life to be this smart and able but using your experience to justify your value is a huge mistake in a professional culture that often equates the word "experience" with the words "has been." The one thing that used to count most for professional marketabil...
Bellies-2-Babies LLC is preparing to celebrate the opening of a new gathering place in the Rhodesbilt Arcade building 229 E. Stuart Avenue Suite #8 in historic downtown Lake Wales. The Lake Wales Area Chamber of Commerce will lead a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 3:30 p.m. Friday, April 26. The public is invited to attend the ceremony, followed by an open house until 7 p.m. Bellies-2-Babies is a privately owned company that specializes in helping families prepare for an amazing...
The Central Florida Media Group will host the Central Florida Job Fair for area job seekers Thursday April 25 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. The job fair will be held at the Winter Haven Recreation and Cultural Center at 801 MLK Blvd. NE, formerly Avenue T, in Winter Haven. Top area employers are looking to fill a wide variety of full, part-time, and summer positions for call center, warehouse, healthcare, hospitality and manufacturing settings. Employers will be looking to fill...
It takes a dedicated person to stand in line a day or two in advance just to buy tickets to a movie – a true fan. From Star Wars to the Marvel Universe, this phenomenon has been enticing fans to do just that two to three times a year. Fans not only want to invest their time into making sure they are the first to see a film or event, they are willing to invest their money, sometimes thousands of dollars, on buying items with their favorite characters on them. Mel Brooks said i...
"The road to progress is always under construction," Lily Tomlin reminded us many years ago, and that is no less true around Lake Wales. Keeping up with the rapid growth of the Lake Wales area will require major changes in how we travel. Several major road construction projects are planned. With them, of course, will come many disruptions. How will they affect you? Let us count the ways. The biggest changes will be along our major highways, US 27 and SR 60. Those projects...
Did you know keeping money in cash, checking, CDs and money market can increase your risk? Okay, let me be honest and admit that first sentence is intended to grab your attention; however, the statement is 100 percent true! Allow me to explain. I am quite certain when people use the word "risk", they are referring to market risk and/or security risk. If that is one's only concern, then CDs and cash are going to offer you the lowest level of risk. However, it is prudent to...
CareerSource Polk is looking for nominees for its 2019 Best Places to Work Awards. The application deadline is June 1. Through a competitive application process CareerSource honors employers who exemplify best practices in the workplace and who are committed to improving quality of life for their employees. First-time applicants pay $150 to apply and others pay $200. Applications are completed online and anonymously scored by an outside panel of Human Resource professionals on...
Talking with a parent about estate planning is never easy. Here are some conversation starters that can help adult children and their parents plan. In 2020, it is projected that Americans older than 65 now will total 56 million, a number that is expected to climb significantly as Baby Boomers retire over the next two decades. Even with this "graying of America," a recent survey showed that only 42% of adult Americans have any kind of estate planning documents at all,...
NOTE: This event has been postponed - new date not announced yet. The Lake Wales Area Chamber of Commerce & Economic Development Council is hosting a Power Breakfast with Keynote Speaker Sheriff Grady Judd at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 10. The breakfast catered by IHOP will take place at Christ's Church on the Move, 2039 SR 60 E (behind Topper's Ice Cream.) Cost is $15 per person. CenterState Bank is the presenting sponsor and Epps Memorial Funeral Home is the contributing...
The SUN 'n FUN International Fly-In and Expo, an aviation tradition for the past 45 years, has announced a name change for its 2020 Fly-In event. The largest fundraising event for the Aerospace Center for Excellence (ACE) will be renamed the SUN 'n FUN Aerospace Expo. Next year's event will be held March 31 - April 5 2020. John "Lites" Leenhouts, President and CEO of SUN 'n FUN Fly-In is quoted as saying that this change reflects the evolution the fly-in has been undergoing....
The Lake Wales area might be adding some new residents if Jeff Bretzer and Michael Skovron see their efforts bearing fruit. The two Realtors promoted the Ridge Landing Aviation community off U.S. 27 south to hundreds of attendees at the 45th Annual Sun 'n Fun Fly-in & Expo April 2-7. Bretzer is a commercial pilot flying the 777 for United. He and Skovron both live in South Florida but are airpark specialists promoting Ridge Landing through Weichert Realtors. John Fazzini of...
According to the most recent statistics from the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP, more than 43 million people have provided unpaid care to an adult or child in the last 12 months.1 These people may be spouses, partners, adult children, parents, other relatives, friends or even neighbors. And, many of these people may not even realize that they have taken on a new role as a caregiver. Caregiving often starts with small tasks-taking your dad to a doctor's appointment...
More than 22 million adult children between the ages of 18 and 34 are living at home with their parents.1 This phenomenon is partially driven by the financial realities facing 20-somethings today, but it also illustrates the strong ties that exist between boomer parents – who have been scrutinized for "helicopter parenting" – and their boomerang kids. The U.K. Journal, Psychologist, found that more than half of millennials phone, text or email their parents nearly every day...
Lake Wales residents should have an estate plan, but estate plans can be difficult for the uninitiated to draw up. There are so many mistakes that people often make in the realm of estate planning. Sometimes these are due to lack of information, other times they are due to the abundance of bad information available on a Google search, social media or by word of mouth. This article will review a few of the mistakes that I have seen in my three decades of practicing law that...
You want to make a difference in the world in a way that reflects your deeply-held beliefs. Increasingly, investors are defining long-term value as not only realizing attractive returns, but also generating positive social or environmental impact. To that end, they are looking for ways to align their portfolios with their purpose, using their wealth as a force for change. What It Means to Invest with Impact Impact investing refers to investments made into companies, organizati...
When the phrase, "Every time we speak, one way or the other we are selling ourselves," is used in a promo, I am ready to give it a shot. Webber International University on March 5 hosted a workshop on selling yourself in the modern business world. Ron Weber, Assistant Professor & Chair for Marketing, was the speaker for this seminar. Director of Admissions Bobbi Andrews introduced Weber and opened the evening with the institution's desire to deliver great content to the commun...
If we at the Lake Wales Area Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Council were to survey people who travel through and around greater Lake Wales, I think we would be hard pressed to find even a fraction of them pleased with driving conditions here. If we were to narrow down the survey to a discussion only about U.S. Highway 27, the area's major north-south route, the fraction of pleased motorists likely would be even smaller. The issue here really isn't about road...
As Benjamin Franklin once said, in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes. Taxes impact nearly every aspect of your financial life, from your overall financial and investment strategy to how you choose to save for your most important goals, such as a dream vacation, retirement or your child's education. Understanding tax concepts and tax planning strategies-and opportunities that may reduce your tax bill-will help you make the most of the money yo...
