Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 82
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...
APRIL 22 - An early spring and nearly summer-like temperatures have already led to parking problems at Frostproof's Lake Clinch Beach, and the Frostproof City Council is poised to do something to attempt to correct the situation. The agenda for a scheduled 5:00 pm public workshop on Monday, April 24 includes discussion of the possible implementation of parking permits for the Lake Clinch beach area. The Council unanimously agreed to hold a workshop at their April 17 meeting...
APRIL 21 - A Florida panther, an endangered and protected species, has been seen in Lake Wales overnight and during the early morning hours of Friday, April 21. The big cat was seen by residents of Lake Wales Country Club. According to reports and photos posted by the public, a second panther has been seen in an area near US 27 between Lake Wales and Frostproof. That cat is apparently a mother of kittens. The males of the species tend to wander long distances in search of mate...
Raymond Odom, 95, of Frostproof, Florida passed Thursday, April 13, 2023 at the Winter Haven Hospital. He was born December 30, 1927, in Winter Haven, Florida to the late Harvey Helton and Ruby (Childs) Odom and he has been a lifelong resident of this area. Raymond was the Owner/Operator of Odom Electric. He enjoyed family times, watching westerns on tv, and he was an avid Frostproof Bulldog fan. He served in World War II and was very proud of the time that he served in the...
As lawns wither and trees wilt across the central Florida, weather forecasters are eyeing long-range models showing a significant chance that a rare April tropical or sub-tropical storm could form in the Gulf of Mexico in coming days. According to the Southeast Regional Climate Center (SERCC), drought conditions over most of the Florida peninsula range from severe to extreme, and most areas are recording the driest start to any year in over a century. So far at the...
A "town hall" community organizing event is planned to take place Monday at the Mary Norma Campbell Resource Center in Highland Park Manor. The 7:00 pm event is the second meeting of the community located southeast of Lake Wales. Concern over the lack of transparency by the city of Lake Wales over rezoning of an industrial site to accommodate proposed plastic pipe factory appears to be one of the catalysts for the revival of the neighborhood association. Both Highland Park...
A surge in readership and community reach is being celebrated as a reflection 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. In addition to a substantial base of readers who...
A Frostproof woman died after being struck by a pickup truck on US 27 near the Camp Inn Resort early Tuesday morning. The location is north of Frostproof, and about three miles south of Warner University. The Polk County Sheriff's Office is investigating the fatal crash. Janie Barnett, 43, of Frostproof was transported to a local hospital but died from her injuries shortly after arriving. Evidence and witness statements collected by the Traffic Homicide Unit revealed that Ms....
Christopher Allen Eismon of Frostproof, faces numerous criminal charges including vehicle theft, fleeing to elude, resisting an officer, trespass in a citrus grove, driving while license suspended, attaching an unassigned license plate, possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia after he was arrested following a short chase by local police. Sometime during the night of December 5th someone entered the locked city wastewater plant located at 840 Henry St...
Downed trees, power outages, and significant flooding were the primary impacts of Hurricane Ian locally. No deaths or injuries were reported to local authorities. The storm weakened enough on its trip inland that it had weakened to a Category One hurricane by the time it made its closest approach. A limited number of buildings sustained wind damage, but it was largely limited to screen enclosures, fences, sheds, and mostly minor roof damage. More than 21 inches of rain was rec...
The steady expansion of city limits is expected to continue at Tuesday's Lake Wales city commission meeting when the board will consider the annexation of 67.73 acres of land south of Lake Bella Road and east of US Highway 27. The property lies at the extreme southern tip of the municipal limits, and will bring those limits into contact with Blue Lake for the first time. Property owners and applicants for the annexation include Rama Food Mart LLC, Mckenna Brothers Inc, Hunt...
A popular and long-running community event returns this year, and organizers are offering plenty of advance notice to those wishing to participate. The 15th annual 39-mile Yard Sale will be held on Saturday November 5, 2022. The event runs from 8:00 am until 3:00 pm. and sees thousands of shoppers descend upon the route of State Road 17 between Frostproof and Haines City. With its central location, much of the activity focuses on the Lake Wales area. The Ridge Scenic Highway...
Private investment in the Lincoln Avenue commercial district, one of the goals of the Lake Wales Connected plan, seems to have begun even before the first spade of dirt is turned. In a presentation before the Community Redevelopment Agency on Tuesday, representatives of restaurant operator Whadda-Wing LLC and NuJak Construction described their plans to construct a new restaurant building on a parcel at the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and A Street. It's the third new...
No sooner has work been completed on the railroad that caused the closing of Hunt Brothers Road this week than crews will move south to begin work on the grade crossing at the Golfview Park Road at Bryan Road in Babson Park. Work there will take place on Thursday and Friday. Detour signs will be erected at SR 17 in Babson Park, requiring traffic to bypass the shortcut leading to the east side of Lake Wales. Crews working for Florida Midland Railroad Company, Inc. will require...
A portion of Hunt Brothers Road will be closed on close on Monday and Tuesday, February 14 and 15 for a repair project. The closure will be at the rail crossing west of Lilly Street and near the Hunt Brothers Citrus Growers Cooperative in Lake Wales. The two-day long repair project will be the first of six that will eventually be conducted along nearly nine miles of tracks between Lake Wales and Frostproof by Florida Midland Railroad Company, Inc. The railroad operates trains...
In a year where a shortage of Christmas trees is a looming nationwide problem, hardy individuals are fortunate to have another affordable solution available: cut your own at the Walk-in-the Water tract of the Lake Wales Ridge State Forest. 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...
Mary Arline Shirey of Lake Wales passed away Tuesday, November 23, 2021 at AdventHealth Lake Wales. She was born February 9, 1959 in LaGrange, Indiana to Richard and Effie Jones; she has been a resident of the area, moving here from Angola, Indiana, since in 2013. Mary was a manager for Pizza Hut and loved to do mandala drawings. She was a sweet and loving person that would do anything for anybody. She grew up tough and was known as mean Mary, Donald brought out the best in...
Jeremy Alan Palmatier of Frostproof passed away Wednesday, September 29, 2021. He was born June 30, 1976 in Westchester, Pennsylvania to the late Randolph German and Karen Palmatier; he moved to Frostproof as a child and has been a lifelong resident of the area. Jeremy is survived by his daughters, Chloe Palmatier of Frostproof, and Chelsie Palmatier of Frostproof; sons, Jeramiah Palmatier of Frostproof, and Cody Palmatier of Haines City; sisters, Rebecca Miller (Mike) of...
A Polk County bridge replacement project is keeping Walk In Water Road east of Lake Wales closed until early November. Crews are working to complete the new span over Tiger Creek and rebuild the roadway approaches, Polk County officials said today. The $1.63 million project was originally scheduled to be completed this month. Residents of the area are finding the blockage to be a major inconvenience, and adding many miles to commutes for those working or shopping on the opposite side of the bridge project. Residents south of...
James Hodnett Walb, 93, of Frostproof, passed away in Sebring, FL. Born February, 25, 1928 to the late James George and Mary (Hodnett) Walb in Clearwater, FL, he moved to the area 38 years ago from Miami. He served his country in both the Army where he was a paratrooper in WW2 and the United States Air Force where he moved up the ranks to Captain. He was a manager of flight emergency procedures for Pan American Airlines, and a member of the First Baptist Church of Frostproof....
Following a 16-month undercover investigation, Polk County Sheriff's Office undercover Narcotics detectives and the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force made 29 arrests in the Lake Wales area and obtained three arrest warrants related to the trafficking, sale, and possession of illegal narcotics. The operation was dubbed the "Bell Gang Blues." Seventeen of the suspects and two still at large were from Lake Wales. During the investigation, detectives and agents...
April Dawn Hartman, 53, passed away Monday, May 3, 2021 at Advent Health of Lake Wales, Florida. She was born June 20, 1967, in Frostproof to Danny Hartman and the late Sharon Horne; she has been a resident of the area for five years coming from South Charleston, OH. She was a caregiver in health care and loved gardening. Survivors include her sons, Nathan Finley of Frostproof, FL and Ryan French of Springfield, OH; father, Danny Hartman of Pompano Beach, FL; sister, Kim...
Rose Lanier, 68, of Lake Wales passed away Friday, Feb. 26, 2021 at Lakeland Regional Medical Center. She was born September 28, 1952 in West Branch, MI to the late Roy and Fonta Richmond; she moved to the area in 1972. Following her nursing career, she became a truck driver. She was a member of the Apostolic Church in Eagle Lake and a fan of the Tampa Bay Bucs. She loved spending time with her family, was an avid reader and enjoyed fishing, hunting, and jig saw puzzles. Survivors include her husband of 52 years, Alfred...
Shellie Lanier Castle, 50, of Babson Park passed away Thursday, February 11, 2021 at Lakeland Regional Medical Center. She was born November 20, 1970 in Bartow to James Lanier and Claire McLemore; she was a lifelong resident of the area. Shellie was a Hospice Nurse. She loved all things ocean and her family, especially being a honey to her grandchildren. Shellie was preceded in death by her father Dewey Lanier; and son, Cody Douglas Castle. She is survived by her mother, Ann...
Al Goldstein didn't realize being a Lake Wales city commissioner would be so time-consuming, but he's eager to sign up for another three years. He was elected without opposition in April 2019 after incumbent Commissioner Tonya Stewart failed to qualify to run for re-election. He has already started campaigning for the District 27, Seat 4 that will be filled in the April 2021 municipal election. "I'm finally understanding the job of a city commissioner," Goldstein said....
