Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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UPDATED The horrifying murder of a second grade teacher has shocked residents of Frostproof and the surrounding area. Elvia Espinoza, who taught second grade at Ben Hill Griffin Elementary School in Frostproof, was stabbed to death by her own son after he returned home from college for a family gathering. Espinoza, 46, was attacked after opening the door to her home in the Sun Ray neighborhood her son, 21-year-old Emmanuel Espinoza, who had just arrived after driving from...
Lorey Blackwelder of Frostproof passed away Thursday, February 8, 2024, at her residence. She was born July 18, 1970 in Winter Haven to the late Alvin and Mary Meadows; she was a lifelong resident of the area. She was a homemaker and attended the First Presbyterian Church in Frostproof. She loved being with her family and enjoyed football. Survivors include her husband of 28 years, Alan Blackwelder; daughter, Savanna Blackwelder of Frostproof; son, Joshua Alan Blackwelder and...
Two instances of molestation of children by adult authority figures, a minister and a coach, have resulted in the arrest of two individuals by the Polk County Sheriff's Office. In an incident that took place in Frostproof, 20-year-old Skylar Ready of Fort Meade was charged with four felonies related to an illegal and inappropriate relationship with a 17-year-old student at the school, whom he allegedly threatened to kill is she had sex with anyone else. Ready had served as a...
A new financial disclosure requirement that has caused hundreds of municipal officials across the state to resign their offices is also having impacts in the Lake Wales area. The state law, which takes effect January 1, requires every elected official in cities, towns, and villages across the state to complete a comprehensive disclosure of income and assets that many consider draconian. The form will replace the simpler, and less invasive, Form 1 previously required. The...
The big news from 100 years ago included the sale of the historic first box of fruit from the Orphan Grove for $1,000, which was enough to purchase some homes in the city at the time. Other news stories told of an exploratory "oil well" being bored near Polk City. The area is now well-known to be the deepest region of the Floridan Aquifer, which is the source of the area's drinking water. Also in the news was word of yet another expansion to the growing network of paved roads...
In a program offered annually at the nearby public lands, Lake Wales area residents are able to cut their own tree, but they have to use a hand-saw to do the work. No power tools are allowed in the forest. A tree-cutting permit costs only $10, a great deal when fresh trees cut in other states and brought to Florida cost far more. Available trees are 10 feet to 15 feet tall, but may be trimmed back to the desired size after leaving the forest. Trees will be harvested along...
Elinor Lorraine Palmatier of Frostproof passed away Saturday, November 18, 2023 at Somers Hospice House in Sebring. She was born September 13, 1934 in Berwyn, Pennsylvania to the late George and Viola Hurd; she has been a resident of the area for many years. Elinor was a member of First Baptist Church of Frostproof. She was an animal lover and enjoyed bird watching. She loved her family overall. Elinor was preceded in death by her husband, James Palmatier; daughter, Karen...
A continuing rise in readership and community reach is evidence of the growing awareness and trust of LakeWalesNews.net among residents of the Ridge area. The expansion of readership and advertising is powering an expansion of news coverage as well as the News increases coverage of events in Frostproof, Babson Park, Indian Lake, and surrounding communities through the hiring of new staff and correspondents. Analytics provided by Google indicate that LakeWalesNews.net is the to...
A new "circulator" bus route that will serve the city six days a week on a frequent schedule began this week, making getting around town without a car a much simpler task. Lake Wales should be very proud of the new service, according to Tom Phillips, executive director of Citrus Connection, which operates the buses. "This is only the second city [in Polk County] to have a real circulator route," he told Lake Wales News.net. The circulator will stay within the city limits,...
After a two-day spell of autumn-like weather to mark the official start of the season this weekend, summer-like rains are expected to return to Florida, but the threat of a tropical storm or hurricane remains distant. Computer models are showing a benign pattern remaining over the central Atlantic basin, with protective upper-level winds deflecting storms northward and away from Florida. After the rapid pop-up of Tropical Storm Ophelia just off the east coast of Florida last...
Stephen Thomas Rodda has been charged with first-degree murder after apparently killing his own 16-year-old son on Monday. Rodda, 37, was booked into the Polk County Jail Monday after he was arrested by Polk County Deputies and charged with killing the teen with an angle-grinder, a power tool normally used to cut metal. He will have a first appearance hearing at 1:00 p.m. today, Tuesday, September 5, 2023. According to the Sheriff's office, the victim's grandfather returned...
After causing a scare in the east Polk region by approaching Florida from the southwest, Hurricane Idalia behaved much as the computer models had predicted, staying well offshore of Florida's west coast before slamming into the Big Bend Area of the state as a Category Four hurricane. That course left the Lake Wales area and surrounding communities undamaged due to winds. Three times during the overnight hours tornado warnings caused alarms to sound on phones and tablets in...
Precautions are advised for strong winds and heavy rains due to the approach of Hurricane Idalia, still expected to move near Florida's Gulf Coast overnight on Wednesday. The 11:00 am, update from the National Hurricane Center in Miami indicates that the center of the storm is still on a generally northward track of five degrees, indicating a slight eastward movement. Any increased eastward adjustment in the course would raise the potential impacts of the storm in the east Pol...
The National Hurricane Center has issued Hurricane Warnings for much of the Florida west coast north of Longboat Key, and raised the former Tropical Storm Watch in Polk County to a Tropical Storm Warning. Residents of the Lake Wales area can expect gusty winds of up to about 60 mph overnight Tuesday evening, continuing for much of the day on Wednesday before gradually relaxing Wednesday night. Along with the winds, substantial rains can be anticipated, with up to four inches...
The threat of a direct strike from Hurricane Idalia on east Polk and the Lake Wales Ridge area continues to diminish this morning as the storm has continued on a northerly track with no sign of a dreaded turn to the east. That much-feared jog would bring the storm ashore on Florida's populous west coast rather than the sparsely-populated Big Bend area. Nevertheless, precautions continue in Polk County for anticipated tropical storm-force winds and the possibility for heavy...
Plans are underway for its 2nd Annual Fall Festival, a free event that features food trucks, beer, music, professional carnival games, inflatables including two bounce houses, general vendors, community booths, farm animals from several area schools, selfie photo spots, and more. The annual event is sponsored by the GFWC Lake Wales Junior Woman's Club, and will run from 11:00 am until 4:00 pm on Saturday, October 14. at Lake Wailes Park. Event proceeds will fund programs that...
The 5:00 pm update from the National Hurricane Center contains some positive news for the Lake Wales area as the most recent model runs for future movements of Tropical Storm Idalia trended very slightly to the west, which would keep the center of the storm away from the central Florida coastline, aiming it instead for the sparsely-populated Big Bend area of the Gulf Coast. On the cautionary side, however, is an increased expectation of rapid intensification, assuring that it...
A general lack of sidewalks on county roads in eastern Polk County may serve as motivation for local residents who would like to become advocates. Polk County commissioners are looking for volunteers who would like to serve on the county's Sidewalk Advisory Committee. The 12-member advisory committee assists the Board in determining the priority of locations for new sidewalks to be built throughout the county. Five members of the committee are appointed by the Board, with...
You can expect to meet crowds of bargain-hunters on one area roadway as the 16th annual Ridge Scenic Highway "39 Mile Yard Sale" takes place on on Saturday, November 4th. The event typically draws thousands of visitors from across central Florida and beyond, coming to seek unusual finds and great bargains brought forth from barns, garages, attics, and other treasure storerooms. The sale runs from 8:00 am until 2:00 pm along the entire length of the Ridge Scenic Highway,...
Marjorie Bedell Lanier of Frostproof passed away Saturday, June 24, 2023 at her residence. She was born May 31, 1931 in Dundee to the late Harold and Minnie Bedell; she was a lifelong resident of the area. She was a retired citrus packing and shipping officer at Ben Hill Griffin. She had a good life, loved her family and was a great momma. She loved fishing, fish fry's, baking and cooking. She was a hard worker and enjoyed yard sales and traveling. Marjorie was preceded in...
Polk County Emergency Management has release the "Polk County Public Shelters" maps for 2023, revealing that there remains only a single shelter to serve the nearly 100,000 residents of Southeast Polk County. Spook Hill Elementary, at 321 Dr. J. A. Wiltshire Ave East in Lake Wales, is the only shelter in a broad area that Includes Dundee, Frostproof, Babson Park, Nalcrest, and other area communities. The 2023 map includes 47 shelters, including three "Special Needs Shelters"...
John Herbert Cofer of Frostproof passed away Wednesday, May 24, 2023 at his residence. He was born October 31, 1929 in Frostproof to the late Clifford and Bertie Cofer; he has been a lifelong resident of the area. John was a retired corrections officer and served with the United States Army during the Korean war. He was a member of First Baptist Church of Frostproof and enjoyed fishing, gardening, and traveling. He loved spending time with his family and having cookouts. John...
Two Haines City men are dead and a third hospitalized following an early morning crash on US Highway 27. Lake Wales Traffic Homicide Investigators determined that a car driven by Aljerume Brooks, age 40 from Haines City failed to stop for the red traffic light while traveling North on Highway 27. Also in the vehicle was Gary Faniel Jr, age 24 and Javarcea Morton, age 23, both of Haines City. Both Faniel and Morton were pronounced dead at the scene. Brooks was transported to...
Police are seeking the whereabouts of a Haines City man who reportedly drove at high speed and ran a red light on US 27, resulting in the deaths of his two passengers. Lake Wales Police have obtained an arrest warrant for 40-year-old Aljerune Brooks of Haines City. An investigation confirmed Brooks was the driver of the Cadillac that failed to stop at the signal at Washington Avenue, crashing into a "yard dog" truck cab owned by Florida's Natural. The driver of the truck,...
Foy Livingston McKenzie of Lake Wales passed away Sunday, May 14, 2023 at his residence. He was born February 12, 1952 in Lyons, Georgia to the late James and Patricia McKenzie; he has been a lifelong resident of the area. Foy was a fruit receiver for Citrus World. He enjoyed spending his time in nature fishing and camping; over all else he loved his family. Foy was preceded in death by his daughters, Pamela Diane Branch, and Margaret Ann Smith. He is survived by his wife of...
