Articles written by Chevon T. Baccus Apr
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 168
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Community Mourns Loss of Jerry Miller, Popular Leader and Friend
Lake Wales lost a special friend when Jerry Miller passed early in the morning of Feb. 24 after a lengthy battle with cancer. The community and government relations manager with... — Updated 2/26/2020
Skydivers Pay Tribute to Betty Hill at Life Celebration
Twenty world class skydivers dropped onto the golf course at Lake Ashton Saturday Feb. 22, paying tribute to Betty Hill, the former owner of the Florida Skydiving Center at the Lake... — Updated 2/26/2020
Meg Smith Shares Love for Music While Building Community Orchestra
Meg Smith calls herself "the luckiest girl in the world." She says she's filled 10 bucket lists by being blessed to play her violin with the likes of famous musicians Yo-Yo Ma and... — Updated 2/20/2020
Commissioners Question Whether City Manager Misled Them to Increase Retirement Contributions
When Lake Wales City Manager Ken Fields asked in February 2019 for a change to his retirement account contributions, City Commissioner Terrye Howell was happy to make the motion to... — Updated 2/19/2020
Preschool Continues Valentine Tradition to Promote Kindness, Good Manners
Twenty-two years ago Heather Eiland watched her 5-year-old daughter Jessica and her pre-school classmates link arms and parade around the school courtyard in their finest outfits.... — Updated 2/19/2020
Split City Pension Board Recommends 5-Year Service Credit Buy-In
In a split 3-2 vote the City of Lake Wales General Employee Pension Board agreed Friday Feb. 14 to recommend to the city commission that they allow employees to buy up to five years... — Updated 2/19/2020
Commission OKs Negotiating with Charter Schools for Purchase of 1919 School Property for Bok North Academy
Lake Wales city commissioners in their role as the Community Redevelopment Agency authorized the city manager to explore the possible sale of the 1919 school property to the Lake... — Updated 2/19/2020
City Manager Proposes Immediate Lease of Old School Property to Charter Schools
Lake Wales City Manager Ken Fields is asking city commissioners, in their role as the city's Community Redevelopment Agency, to allow the Lake Wales Charter Schools to lease the... — Updated 2/16/2020
City Manager Seeking "Buy-In" to Get Lifetime Pension
Lake Wales City Manager Ken Fields is proposing two changes to the city's pension rules. One would enable him to get a lifetime city pension worth potentially more than $600,000... — Updated 2/12/2020
Head Pilot Greg Love Retires After 25 Years with Sheriff's Aviation Unit
Lake Wales pilot Greg Love officially hung up his wings and rotors Friday, Feb. 7 after a 25-year aviation career with the Polk County Sheriff's Department. Turning just 60 this yea... — Updated 2/12/2020
Charter Schools Preparing Offer to Purchase Old High School Complex
The Lake Wales Charter Schools are looking to breathe new life into the old high school complex by locating Bok Academy North on the site off Seminole Avenue. Charter Schools... — Updated 2/12/2020
City Manager to Develop Plan, Budget for Police Body Cameras
At the end of a tense, 3 ½ hour city commission workshop on community policing and the prospect of police wearing body cameras Lake Wales City Manager Ken Fields summarized... — Updated 2/6/2020
City Approves Agreements to Purchase YMCA
Lake Wales City Commissioners Feb. 4 approved lease and operating agreements to pave the way for purchasing the Lake Wales Family YMCA. Commissioners at their Jan. 20 meeting... — Updated 2/5/2020
CenterState Bank Announces Plans to Merge with South State Bank
CenterState Bank and South State Bank have announced plans to merge, with John Corbett of Winter Haven to serve as Chief Executive Officer. Their combination will create a leading... — Updated 1/28/2020
Northwest Leader Calls for Police Body Cameras, More Training
The president of the newly formed Lincoln Community Development Corporation is calling for Lake Wales police to start wearing body cameras to document interactions with suspects... — Updated 1/28/2020
City's YMCA Purchase Hits Snag, Causing Further Delay
For the second time this month the city's plans to purchase the Lake Wales Family YMCA hit a roadblock that pushed the whole deal further down the road. Commissioners at their Jan.... — Updated 1/22/2020
Little Theatre Production of Single Wide: The Musical Opens Jan. 10
The Lake Wales Little Theatre production of Single Wide: The Musical opens Friday, Jan. 10 for a three weekend run. The play is about Katy, a third generation single mother who... — Updated 1/22/2020
City Approves $150K in Incentives for Downtown Taproom, Lincoln Ave. Cafe
The Lake Wales City Commission Tuesday, Jan. 14 approved $150,000 in incentives to help a taproom locate downtown and a café open on Lincoln Avenue. Since the two commitments would... — Updated 1/22/2020
City Asked to Allocate $100,000 in Incentives to Help Taproom Locate Downtown
Lake Wales Main Street Director Karen Thompson is so excited about the possibility of a tap room breathing life into downtown Lake Wales that she's asking city commissioners to... — Updated 1/14/2020
City Likely to Keep Code Board and Use Magistrate for Some Issues
Facing vocal opposition to eliminating the citizen Code Enforcement Board, Lake Wales city commissioners expressed support for a hybrid system where they would keep the board but... — Updated 1/13/2020
Commissioners Want to Seek Proposals for City Attorney Services
City Commissioner Curtis Gibson was in elementary school when Chuck Galloway became the Lake Wales city attorney 26 years ago. Gibson says it's time to at least consider whether... — Updated 1/12/2020
Warning's Over: Texting While Driving Now Will Cost You
The six-month warning period for texting while driving is coming to an end. Law enforcement officers will begin citing violators Jan. 1, with fines of $30 for the first offense.... — Updated 1/8/2020
City Staff Ask Commissioners to Eliminate Code Enforcement and Appeals Boards, Hire Lawyers to Serve as Special Magistrates
Lake Wales Assistant City Manager Kathy Bangley is asking city commissioners to eliminate the citizen-staffed Code Enforcement Board and Board of Appeals and turn their duties over... — Updated 1/6/2020
Wawa Credits Success to Valuing Employees, Servant Leadership
A Wawa convenience retail store manager who completes 25 years can retire a multimillionaire because of the company's lucrative profit-sharing program, according to George Wood,... — Updated 1/1/2020
Air Filtration Company Bringing 200 Jobs to Lake Wales
A North Carolina company that manufactures air filters, air filtration products and equipment is expected to bring 200 jobs to Lake Wales in early 2020. Pamlico Air will be located... — Updated 1/1/2020
