Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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Michelle Threatt has been named first president of the newly created Northwest Neighborhood Association, Michelle Threatt. She has lived in the Northwest Neighborhood since 2004, and her passion for her neighborhood is both inspirational and contagious. Threatt previously served 15 years in law enforcement. Her passion has always been for her neighborhood that's why she started a food truck named after her mother called Topsy's. A popular staple in the Lake Wales community,...
City officials are letting its ongoing "state of emergency" declaration regarding the COVID-19 pandemic expire. In addition, Lake Wales commissioners are expected Tuesday to finish the process of repealing the city's mandatory mask resolution which was adopted last August. The state of emergency declaration, which first went into effect March 13, 2020, allows the city access to additional resources both during the designated period, and for potentially recouping costs associat...
Lake Wales police are investigating a shooting that left a man in critical condition with multiple gunshot wounds. Police were called to a home at 426 Domaris Ave. at 9:34 p.m. June 4 regarding a shooting. Upon arrival, officers learned an armed robbery had just occurred at 414 Domaris Ave. Officers found the victim, a 36-year-old Lake Wales resident, at 422 Domaris Ave. with multiple gunshot wounds. He was transported to the hospital in critical condition. Police said the...
A recent statistically valid survey of residents in the northwest section neighborhood of Lake Wales revealed 60 percent of respondents say they "feel hopeful about the future of their neighborhood." City commissioners recently discussed results of the survey, which was conducted by the ETC Institute, a national firm renowned for helping local governments gather data from residents to enhance community planning and the delivery of municipal services. The survey, which was both...
Visitors to the Florida Museum of Natural History's latest gallery exhibit can take a uniquely artistic look into the museum's fish collection. "Inner Beauty: Skeletons Revealed from the Museum's Fish Collection" reveals rarely-seen views of the museum's fish specimens. Vibrant, colorful images showcase the results of two techniques used in modern preservation science: clearing and staining and CT scanning. "People can take a look at some of these really cool techniques and...
The Lake Wales Public Library, in partnership with the Polk County History Center, will offer a series of three Genealogy Workshops. The workshops will be led by the Polk County Historical & Genealogical Library's Research and Genealogy Historian, Preston Petermeier. Preston has instituted an excellent series of workshops for the Polk County History Center. He's bringing his expertise to our library for these informative sessions. The series begins, at 11 a.m., Wednesday,...
Drama students at McLaughlin Middle School & Fine Arts Academy presented a special Josh the Baby Otter water safety program to Head Start pre-kindergarten students June 1. Under the leadership of first year drama teacher Alexandra Meridionale, the students acted out the Josh the Baby Otter book and created their own version of the "Learn to Float" song and dance. Rotary on the Ridge, a regional after hours service club, has presented the Josh the Baby Otter program to more...
A We Swim Splash Party will be held from 6-8 p.m. Friday, June 18 at the Lake Wales YMCA, 1001 Burns Ave. The event will include free music and food. It is designed to bring families to the Y to sign up for free swim lessons for their children. The City of Lake Wales will be providing vouchers for children to sign up for free swim lessons, which normally would cost $30 to $70. City residents also can register for free access to the pool during designated hours: 11 a.m. to 1...
Jose Juan Ramos, 51, of Lake Wales passed away Tuesday, May 25, 2021 in Honk Kong. He was born March 13, 1970 in Brooklyn, NY to Jose and Nelly Ramos. Jose was a graduate of Lake Wales High School and earned a Bachelor's Degree at Webber University. Jose loved volleyball; he coached at Webber for many years. He always loved to make everyone smile. He was a loving son, father, brother, and friend to many. Jose traveled the world and believed that the world was his oyster. He...
Aziz A. Khairzada, 78, of Lake Wales passed away Friday, June 4, 2021 at Lakeland Regional Hospital. He was born October 27, 1942 in Kabul, Afghanistan to the late Khair and Alma Mohad; he moved to Lake Wales from Monroe, Michigan in 2008. He was a retired Nuclear Engineer and had a Master's Degree. Aziz is survived by his wife of 48 years, Beverly Khairzada; sons, Farid Aziz Khairzada of Newark, DE, and Michael A. Khairzada and wife Danielle of Salem, NJ; 24 brothers and sisters; and grandchildren, Brooke and Kaitlyn. No...
Vera Sherrer, 80, of Lake Wales died June 6. 2021 after a three-plus year battle with cancer. She was born in Coffee County, AL on September 27, 1940. Vera moved as a child to Polk County in 1946 and came to live in Lake Wales in 1952. She was a 1958 graduate of Lake Wales High School and worked for Lake Wales Citrus Growers and served as secretary treasurer of First Federal of Lake Wales before her retirement in 1996. She loved travel to the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina...
Arson is one of the most expensive property claims in the United States. Each year billions of dollars in property damage and hundreds of lives are lost as a result of fires set by arsonists. For 38 years State Farm Insurance has been training arson dog teams to locate potential evidence of arson following a fire. The dog alerts the handler, usually a firefighter or law enforcement official, to the specific location of an accelerant (gasoline, oil, fuel) and the handler...
Defying national trends in higher education, Florida Polytechnic University is enjoying a significant increase in the number of students applying to and committing to attend the University. Applications at Florida Poly are up 17% over fall 2020 and new student deposits for fall 2021 have increased by a hefty 48%. In addition to a spike in interest from first-year college students, Florida Poly also is experiencing an increase in applications and deposits among transfer student...
Katherine Gray Finnell passed away at Cape Coral hospital on Thursday, June 4 2021. She is survived by her husband Thomas J Finnell and her son Scott Thomas Finnell and his wife Deeann Finnell and her grandson Carter Finnell. She is also survived by her brother Brad Gray and his wife Jenni Gray. She is predeceased by her daughter Tracy Katherine Finnell, and her parents Charles and Claire Gray. Kathy led Weight Watchers meetings for 30 years. She is a graduate of Santa Fe...
The Lake Wales Little Theatre teen production of Jukebox Diner opens Friday, June 4 for a two-weekend run. Directed by Rob Fritz, performances are at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for students. They can be purchased online at lwlt.org or by calling 863-676-1266. The box office also is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesdays at the theatre, which is located at 411 N. 3rd St. in Lake Wales. To see gallery of photos by...
Polk County Public Schools is no longer requiring students and staff to wear face coverings. During its June 8 meeting, the Polk County School Board voted unanimously to lift a requirement that students wear face coverings. The requirement for PCPS employees to wear face coverings is also being lifted. Beginning June 9 face coverings will no longer be mandatory in PCPS schools, offices, and buses. Face coverings will be optional for students and staff members for the 2021-22...
Lake Wales City Attorney Chuck Galloway has been tasked with trying to find out if Gov. Ron DeSantis plans to suspend City Commissioner Kris Fitzgerald from office pending the outcome of her criminal case. Fitzgerald was arrested June 3 on two felony charges for allegedly taking an 11-year-old boy from his home without permission and threatening him with a loaded handgun. She was released from the Polk County Jail Saturday, June 5 after posting $11,000 bond. At the end of thei...
