Week of May 14, 2025
Week of May 14, 2025
A proposal that will permit four million square feet of industrial space and nearly 3,000 new homes will be considered by the Lake Wales City Commission at its regular meeting Tuesday night. The Stoneridge development includes 1,287 acres with frontage of SR 60 west. It will wrap around the western and southern edges of Lake Wales Airport. The proposed housing mix includes 2.400 single-family homes and 550 multi-family units and result in a residential population of...
After a long but successful legal battle over the title to the historic Walesbilt Hotel, the Lake Wales Community Redevelopment Agency is wasting no time moving to begin their efforts to see the building redeveloped. The CRA has approved the hiring of the engineering firm of Kimley-Horn to conduct an evaluation of the hotel that will include a structural property condition report and a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment. The report the firm will generate will be included...
AdventHealth Lake Wales has been awarded an "A" Hospital Safety Grade by The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit upholding the standard of excellence in patient safety in hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers. The Leapfrog Group assigns an "A," "B," "C," "D" or "F" grade to general hospitals nationwide based on over 30 performance measures reflecting errors, accidents, injuries and infections, as well as the systems hospitals have in place to prevent them. "It's a...
A Sebring woman driving north in the southbound lanes of US 27 was the apparent cause of a head-on crash Thursday night that claimed her life and that of a second motorist. According to Polk County Sheriff's Traffic Homicide investigators, a witness to the crash confirmed that a black 2021 Toyota Corolla had been heading northbound in the left southbound lane of US 27 at about 10 p.m. A separate call to the emergency 911 system reported that a wrong-way driver was traveling...
Three rail crossings on the west side of Lake Wales will be closed for repairs to the grades, although CSX has predicted that each closing will last only 24 hours. Scheduled crossing closures include Old Ice House Road, North Lake Wales Alturas Road, and Alturas Babson Park Cut-off Road. All three crossings serve the main CSX line, which carries both passenger and freight traffic. Old Ice House Road is scheduled to close at the rail crossing south of Morrel Avenue at 7 a.m....
A Dundee man who was attempting to cross County Road 542 in Dundee was struck and killed by a vehicle Friday,. The incident occured in darkness at about 10L45 p.m. According to the Polk County Sheriff's Office Traffic Homicide Unit, the 911 center received a call from the 900 block of Dundee Road in Dundee. The 41-year-old driver of a 2004 Buick sedan was reportedly heading east on Dundee Road, entering the right turn lane to head south on U.S. Hwy 27 as the pedestrian was...
A daring daylight robbery of an 11-year-old child participating in a school fundraiser resulted in the arrest of a Davenport man who is now facing multiple charges. According to Lake Wales Police, the child was selling chocolate on a downtown street and proudly revealed to the robber that he had collected $107 in donations for his school. The man, later identified as 18-year-old Isaiyah Cabrera of Davenport, "snatched an envelope containing the money and fled the scene on an...
A motorcyclist was killed Tuesday evening, April 29, 2025, in a two-vehicle crash near Lake Wales. Deputies from the Polk County Sheriff's Office and members of Polk County Fire Rescue were dispatched to the crash on Mammoth Grove Road near Stokes Road at about 9:53 pm. When first responders arrived, they determined that 38-year old Justin Casey Weyburn of Lake Wales was deceased. Weyburn had been the operator of a black 2017 Harley Davidson motorcycle. The other person...
A new hotel and a possible new manufacturing and distribution facility are among anticipated developments at Longleaf Business Park, located on US 27 two miles south of SR 60 in Lake Wales. Maryland-based Sunset Hotel Group recently completed the purchase of a two-acre parcel at the park from the Lake Wales Community Redevelopment Agency for $197,600. Officials with SHG told Lake Wales News.net that they are deeply engaged in due diligence negotiations with several hotel...
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is proud to announce the launch of the newly redesigned Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail website. The Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail is a longstanding FWC program that connects people to over 500 birding and wildlife watching locations statewide. The Trail includes multiple sites around eastern and southern Polk County which are featured on the new site.. The Great Florida Birding Trail is a program...
Researchers Cori Lausen and Maleen Mund step out of the warm spring sun and into a dimly lit workshop. The only light streams in through the doorway behind them and a few dusty windows. It's been a cool start to the season in the Lower Mainland, but some bats have already emerged from their winter hibernation. A couple dozen are roosting in cozy clusters in the rafters of this old, wood building near Hayward Lake, about 35 miles east of Vancouver, British Columbia, in Canada....
I've been looking forward to Thunderbolts* for a long time, and it did not disappoint. This latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe brings together an unexpected team of lesser-known heroes-and delivers the humor, heart, and action Marvel fans crave. Directed by Jake Schreier, Thunderbolts stars Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. The story centers around a group of familiar but underdog characters-Yelena Belova (Black Widow's sister), Bucky Barnes...
The Orange Blossom Revue returns to Lake Wales for its 11th annual celebration December 5–6, 2025, according to festival organizers.. Florida's beloved boutique music and arts event takes place in the scenic Lake Wailes Park, just outside historic downtown Lake Wales and an easy drive from central Florida hubs like Tampa and Orlando. This year's edition is expected to deliver a dynamic mix of gritty Southern rock, swampy soul, and high-energy Americana. Known for its...
Sinners, a horror film directed by Ryan Coogler of Black Panther fame, stars Michael B. Jordan in a standout dual performance as twin brothers Smoke and Stack. Set during Prohibition, the story follows the brothers as they leave Chicago and return to their Mississippi hometown to open a nightclub. The film's first act unfolds over the course of a single day, building anticipation for the club's grand opening. This section is rich in character development, allowing viewers to...
Heart failure patients at AdventHealth Lake Wales are taking control of their health and recovery outside of the hospital, with the help of free health supply kits. This is part of a new program working to address one of the region's most urgent health care challenges: heart failure. The heart care kits are used to monitor patients' progress after they are discharged from the hospital, with both English and Spanish versions being offered. The kits include a weight scale,...
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