Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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A street ride on a homemade go-cart on Alturas-Babson Park Cutoff Road (ABC Road) ended in tragedy for two men Saturday night. The Polk County Sheriff's Office received a 911 call around 9:20 p.m. on Saturday, May 24th, about a collision between the cart and a Hyundai Elantra on the Bartwo segment of ABC Road According to traffic homicide investigators, a 33-year-old man who lives in the area was operating the go-cart with a 38-year-old male passenger. As the pair were...
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....
Shirley Mae Hare, 91, of Lake Wales, Florida passed away on February 1, 2025. She was a sparkling and shining light in the lives of so many people. With her brilliant spirit, radiant smile, and compassionate heart, she seamlessly blended her roles as a homemaker and nurturing parent with a career as a preschool teacher and children's caregiver. She was that special star for her family and friends, her students, the young children she cared for and everyone who had the chance...
Cathie Jo Bruursema of Babson Park passed away Thursday, March 6, 2025 at Somers Hospice House in Sebring. She was born July 16, 1969 in Holland, MI. She was a retired administrative assistant from the Grace Church in Gladstone, MI and a member of the First Baptist Church of Lake Wales. She was very active, enjoyed fitness, cross country skiing, mountain biking and kayaking. She loved going to the beach. Cathie was preceded in death by her mother, Ann Regelin. Survivors...
With only days remaining until the peak of the zany season, the Lake Wales Mardi Gras kicks off this weekend with the annual Shiner Ball, hosted by the "Loyal Order of Wild Shiners." The party is billed as a gathering of their unique group, named after the popular bait fish, at "the Center of the Universe." Lake Wales Mardi Gras is a tradition in Lake Wales, now in its fifth decade. The festival features a two day music festival, numerous private and public celebrations, and...
Lake Wales police have arrested a private school substitute teacher for showing sexually explicit photographs to her elementary students. Park Avenue Private School administrators contacted Lake Wales Police and told them they had terminated substitute teacher Gayle Wessel on November 7, 2024, after students reported that she had shared explicit photos on her phone. Wessel, 60, Wessel of Babson Park, is now facing six counts of showing obscene material to minors and one count...
Mona Jean Vorous of Lake Wales passed away Sunday, December 29, 2024 at her residence. She was born January 23, 1931 in New Bethlehem, Pennsylvania to the late George and Florence Cochran; she moved to Lake Wales in 1961. Mona was a homemaker and was a member of First Presbyterian Church of Lake Wales. She enjoyed macrame, quilting, gardening, and playing games. Mona was preceded in death by her husband, William S. "Bill" Vorous, Jr.; and brothers, Ronald Lee Cochran and Fred...
The purchase of 4,158 acres of land on the southwest side of Lake Wales by an active land-development company may be a harbinger of yet another major development proposal. The long-discussed 5-R Ranch property could potentially host many thousands of homes along with commercial and industrial uses if purchaser Richland Communities decides the time is ripe to develop the sprawling property south of Lake Wales Airport. Richland purchased the property for a local-record $50...
Polk County's Conservation Lands program is set to finalize a $5.2 million deal that will bring another large tract of land into permanent protection. It will become part of the "Big Green Network" of environmental lands will forever form limits to the potential urbanization of the Lake Wales area. The vision of a Big Green Network emerged as one of the major elements of the Lake Wales Envisioned project to assure that Lake Wales remains a livable area in the face of enormous...
Motorists passing through Babson Park are warned to exercise caution as work crews will be conducting a major reconstruction of Scenic Highway through the heart of the village. The Florida Department of Transportation has begun a Full Depth Reclamation (FDR) Project on SR 17 (Scenic Highway). The project zone includes about one mile from 5th Street to North Crooked Lake Drive. That zone include the Polk Fire and EMS station as well as Webber International University. In...
The Polk County Sheriff's Traffic Homicide Unit is investigating a fatal crash that took place early Saturday directly in front of the Babson Park station of the county's fire rescue department. Paramedics from the station responded immediately after the impact but were unable to save the life of the Fort Myers man who was driving a 2018 Harley Davidson motorcycle. Kenneth Ellefson, 53, was reportedly not wearing a helmet when his motorcycle collided head-on with a 1999 Mazda...
With the annual Pioneer Days festival only days away, the sponsoring Lake Wales History Museum has revealed Richard "Dick" Dane Howell as the 2024 Pioneer of the Year. "Mr. Howell's exceptional dedication to the Lake Wales community and his remarkable achievements truly define him as a pioneer and a worthy recipient of this prestigious award," said museum president Brandon Alvarado in revealing the selection, The honorific of "Pioneer of the Year" has been bestowed upon a...
Careless and inattentive driving resulted in a complex crash that left ten injured Sunday evening in Lake Wales. The four-vehicle pile-up happened in two different crashes after a vehicle crossed the center line of Alturas-Babson Park Cutoff (ABC) Road, south of Lake Wales and approximately one mile west of US 27. The crash began when a 2010 Dodge Ram reportedly crossed the centerline of the two-lane road and struck a 2019 Ford F-150 pickup and a 2013 Ford Explorer at about...
Jessica Costanzo, an alumna and former Webber University volleyball player whose life was tragically cut short in a car accident in 2014, has been honored by the naming of the school's volleyball court in her honor, as well as the creation of the Jessica Costanzo Scholarship Fund. The new scholarship fund will provide scholarships for graduating seniors from Venice (FL) High School, where Costanza graduated. A volleyball match on September 11 was preceded by a small reception...
Ann Teresa Hillmann, 96, of Surry, Maine, passed away on September 2, 2024, at Water's Edge in Lake Wales, Florida. She was born on January 26, 1928, in Clifton, New Jersey, to the late Harry and Catherine Keen. Ann was preceded in death by her husband of 57 years, Frederick Paul Hillmann, her brothers, Harry and Tim Keen, her sister, Mary St. Maria, her sons, Frederick and Mark, and a grandson, Raymond Borke. She is survived by her siblings Jean Butler, Chuck Keen, and James...
Avoiding the likelihood of an expensive lawsuit, the trustees of the Lake Wales Charter School have accepted a settlement of issues connected to their abrupt June 7 termination of the system's former superintendent. Dr. Wayne V. Rodolfich had served just under two years at the head of the seven-school system when he was cited for one or more "grievances" filed by employees. Details of the accusations have not been made public but based upon statements made by both Rodolfich...
An apparent tornado spawned by a line of strong thunderstorms touched down in the Alturas area Tuesday around 5:30 p.m. Luckily the funnel struck in a rural, agricultural area and there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. Witnesses traveling along the Alturas-Babson Park Cutoff Road, often referred to locally as "ABC" road, saw the funnel moving through the sky, and photos show it stirring up a cloud of condensation and debris at ground level. The funnel appeared...
With the threat of a "long, expensive, and distracting" lawsuit looming, the Lake Wales Charter School board will have an opportunity to reconsider their June 7 decision to summarily fire Superintendent Dr. Wayne V. Rodolfich "for cause," according to an attorney representing him. The board agreed without objection to place the issue on their July 22 agenda after hearing from attorney Kemp Brinson, who is representing Rodolfich. Brinson, in a special presentation that was the...
Terry Ronald Myers, 83, passed away in Tallahassee on Saturday, June 15th. From Terry: "If I made one person laugh, a few people smile, then life down here, it was all worthwhile." He was born March 2, 1941, in Indianapolis, Indiana to the late Charles Robert and Virgie Bea Barker. Terry worked as a salesman (Warner Candy Company, Wonder Bread, Merita Bread, Snyders and Archway Cookies) but he also worked for the Polk County Sheriff's Office as a detention officer. He was very...
Webber International University conducted its 97th commencement ceremony early this month for a graduating class of 186 students. The May 3 event took place in the Sabbagh Athletic Center on the university's campus. "We have a saying here at Webber which you'll often hear: 'The Webber Way...We Make Things Happen Here.' And all of you are witnesses to how we make things happen here," said Webber President and CEO, Dr. Nelson Marquez. "Our graduates are living proof of that."...
Martha Ann Lewis, age 61, of Babson Park, FL, died Tuesday, April 30, 2024, at the Forsythe Hospice House in Auburndale, FL. She is survived by her children, Terrance Mosley, Brian Mosley and Jarvis Mosley of Babson Park, FL. Sisters; Christine Barnes and Gladys Tucker of Lake Wales, FL. Brother; Clifford Lewis of Babson Park, FL. Nine grandchildren and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. Visitation with family and friends will take place on Saturday, May 11,...
Mary Starling Sullivan, 91, of Babson Park, FL, died on Saturday, March 30 after a full life and quality time with family and loved ones. She was born on January 17, 1933, in Miami, FL, to Clyde and Georgia Starling. In 1950, she graduated from Miami Edison High School. Mary met Richard J. Sullivan (Dick) in Connecticut. They were married at Forest Park Christian Church of Miami, in 1952. Mary and Dick began their family in south Florida. In 1973, they relocated to Babson...
David Alexander Tolento of Lake Wales passed away Sunday, March 24, 2024 at AdventHealth Lake Wales. He was born January 19, 1956 in Fremont, Ohio to Alfred and Teodula Tolento; he moved to Lake Wales from Woodville, Ohio in 1984. David was retired and was an active member of Holy Spirit Catholic Church. He was an avid fan of the Ohio State Buckeyes Football team and was a member of the Knights of Columbus. David liked plants and animals and loved spending time with his...
Polk County Sheriff's deputies have arrested a couple and removed a 7-month-old baby and a 7-year-old child who lived in the home in Alturas. Deputies had responded to a call from the Department of Children and Families to the home, located in the 8000 block of Alturas Babson Park Cutoff Road, to find "a total disaster," according to Polk Sheriff Grady Judd. The children were living with their parents, Tawnya White, 43, and her husband, 39-year-old Devin White, in deplorable...
The two-and-a-half weeks of the 40th annual Lake Wales Mardi Gras festivities are rapidly approaching their climax as hundreds of "krewe" members prepare for the combined parade on Saturday, February 10. The series of masquerade parties and musical events mark the days of the pre-Lenten "Carnival" season here. Last week's kickoff party, hosted by the Krewe Renaissance, will be followed by the Saturday, Feb. 3 Blacklight Ball sponsored by the Loyal Order of Wild Shiners....
