Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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During an eight-day-long undercover human trafficking operation, which began on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024, the Polk County Sheriff's Office Vice Unit arrested 228 suspects involved in illegal acts related to soliciting prostitutes, offering to commit prostitution, or aiding and abetting prostitutes. Detectives from the Auburndale PD, Davenport PD, Haines City PD, Lakeland PD, Lake Hamilton PD, Lake Wales PD, St. Cloud PD, and Winter Haven Fire Rescue assisted with the...
A grant application for the "Complete Streets redesign of remaining portions of 1st Street, Central Avenue, and Lincoln Avenue" has been given a high probability of success by a grant consultant working for the City of Lake Wales. The application seeks 100 percent funding for the redesign and reconstruction of most of First Street North, Lincoln Avenue, and single blocks of Central Avenue and A Street. The total project costs included in the application are $22,930,000, which...
Downtown Lake Wales was a "happening scene" Friday as the sounds of the south Florida-based "The JamBand" filled the air as they performed from a special stage in Linear Park. The event drew a large crowd on a beautiful spring evening who danced, clapped along, and sometimes sang with the band. Numerous vendors and a food truck catered to the crowd. The free performance was another installation of "Lake Wales Live," a six-performance series intended to help bring more...
A Sebring man who decided to make an "unauthorized withdrawal" from the Bank of America in Lake Wales is in jail and charged with armed robbery. Dennis T. Davis, 42, reportedly walked into the Bank of America at 11 a.m. Tuesday and approached a teller indicating he had a firearm in his jacket pocket, which he pointed at the teller. After demanding and receiving cash, Davis fled on foot westbound from the bank at 1100 SR 60 East in Lake Wales with an undisclosed amount of...
A 14-person attempt at formation skydiving in Lake Wales Monday afternoon left two skydivers with life-threatening injuries. Witnesses said that at least one parachute appeared to become tangled and failed to fully open. Two women in the group made hard landings, sustaining injuries that required them to be airlifted to a trauma center. According to witnesses, one skydiver came down at the intersection of North Scenic Highway and Wiltshire Avenue. Witnesses immediately began...
BARTOW - A Circuit Court ruling Thursday has set the stage for reverting ownership of the historic Walesbilt Hotel in Lake Wales back to the city, ending a years-long legal battle for control of the 10-story building. Circuit Judge William T. Sites ruled that the current owner, Dixie-Walesbilt LLC's Raymond Brown, fraudulently induced the city into contracting with him to redevelop the property, and ultimately to sign the deed over to Brown, according to the ruling. The...
Despite a significant ruling in favor of the city, the future of the Walesbilt Hotel still hangs in the balance of an active lawsuit, Deputy Mayor Robin Gibson told the city commission during the boards' regular meeting Tuesday night. The ten-story boom-era hotel, constructed in 1926, is the dominant feature of the city's downtown and has been a topic of discussion by the commission for more than a decade. It has remained vacant since 1996. In a 33-minute presentation at...
If you are one of the many customers who took a test drive or made a service visit to Lake Wales Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram or any of the four other area auto dealerships owned by the "Low Payment Kings" during February, you were part of a larger effort on behalf of St. Jude's Children's Hospital. The Low Payment King dealerships of Polk County, powered by the Mahalak Auto Group, made a donation of $6,274, representing a contribution for every test drive and service visit during...
Sandra Kay Lincoln of Winter Haven passed away Thursday, March 7, 2024 at Forsythe Hospice House in Auburndale. She was born September 17, 1950 in Lake Wales to the late John and Clara Chambless; she has been a lifelong resident of the area. Sandra was the Office Manager for Dr. Unzueta’s office and was a past member of First Assembly Church. She was a compassionate person who never met a stranger. Sandra was a wonderful mother and best friend. She loved her family and f...
March 12, 2024 is Equal Pay Day; however, this is no celebration. Despite the Equal Pay Act being introduced more than 60 years ago, gender and racial pay gaps persist. Women bring enormous value to the U.S. economy but due to systemic sexism and decades of discrimination, women are still paid, on average, just 84 cents for every dollar paid to a man. This gap only worsens when we include women working part-time or seasonally-widening to 78 cents. A woman must work an a...
Linda Green Robertson of Lake Wales passed away Monday, March 4, 2024 at her residence. She was born March 10, 1947 in Lake Wales to the late Jesse and Josie Green; she has been a lifelong resident of the area. Linda was a retired real estate loan officer and was a veteran of the United States Navy. She loved to cook and freeze food, gardening, and painting. Linda loved her family, children, and grandchildren dearly. Linda was preceded in death by her husband, Russell...
Leah Morgan Robbins, a cherished resident of Satellite Beach, FL, passed away on February 25, 2024, surrounded by loved ones after bravely confronting both lung cancer and Vaccine-Induced Thrombocytic Thrombocytopenia (VITT). Born on December 27, 1969, in San Diego, CA, to Glenda and James D. Morgan, Leah's life was marked by her passion for reptiles and her dedication to education. After graduating from Lake Wales High School in 1987, Leah pursued a degree in Elementary...
Three challengers seeking two seat on the Lake Wales City Commission held the stage at a Monday evening candidates forum after both incumbents failed to show up for the 90-minute event. The election is four weeks away, slated for Tuesday, April 2. Carol Gillespie, seeking seat 4 on the five-person commission, along with Brandon Alvarado and Crystal Higbee, both seeking seat 2, shared their ideas and responded to questions from the audience at the forum sponsored by the...
An upcoming exhibit at the Lake Wales Arts Center will feature the Solivita Artisan Guild. The Guild includes artisans and artists in the community located within Poinciana in northeast Polk County. Members will share their interests in a wide range of crafts and fine arts. The special exhibit will open March 4 and include works of painting, drawing, jewelry, photography, sculpture and ceramics, tie-dye and batik, quilting and sewing created by members of the organization....
The Lake Wales Highlander of 100 years ago reveals much about the history of our community. In 1924 a new Ford truck would cost you $490, a considerable sum at the time. Each week the Lake Wales News will publish a front-page image of the former Lake Wales Highlander from 100 years earlier, tracking the growth of the community a century ago, when Florida was in the midst of a great land price boom and rapid population growth. The Lake Wales Highlander eventually became The...
Mail ballots are now available for registered voters who reside in the City of Lake Wales, as well as voters in Davenport, Dundee, and Haines City who would like to vote by mail in the April 2 Municipal Elections. Lake Wales voters will have an opportunity to choose two commissioners from five candidates seeking seats on the city commission. "No stamp is necessary to return the ballot as the return postage is pre-paid," said Supervisor of Elections Lori Edwards. Voters can...
Government is complicated. Elected officials, even those responsible for leading a city such as Lake Wales with its billion-dollar budget, face a multitude of questions and issues. It is certainly not within the capacity of any one individual to have total awareness of every matter that must be decided. The role of the press as a watchdog over government is a long-established principle, one that has for nearly 250 years of American history served to keep politicians on the str...
In 1924 Lake Wales was in the midst of not only a land boom, but a citrus boom. A calculation by local grower Charles M. Hunt showed nearly 12,000 acres of citrus had been planted within a five-mile radius of Lake Wales. Meanwhile, the various rudimentary marketing agencies were being urged to coordinate in what would eventually lead to the creation of Florida Citrus Mutual and a "box tax" on fruit in Florida to be used in marketing the products....
Voters will have two chances next week to see and hear incumbents and candidates for seats on the Lake Wales City Commission air their views and positions on a wide variety of topics during two candidate forums. Events are planned for both Monday and Wednesday evenings, March 4 and March 6, giving registered voters within city limits extra opportunity to become informed. Five candidates will vie for two seats on the commission in the April 2 vote. Although candidates must...
Sylvia Marsee Griner died at home surrounded by her family on February 24, 2024, at 8 p,m, due to a lung disease she had for many years. She was 85 years old, and was born June 17, 1938. She was preceded in death by her parents, Rubin Lee Marsee and Flarida Marsee, brother Ray Marsee, and sisters Stella Willene and Fay Juanita. She is survived by her husband Aaron Beal Griner and four children. Brenda Griner Schell (Steven), Treasa Griner McLean (Ken), Kenneth Aaron Griner...
A Lake Wales woman is in custody after a horrific accident on Saturday morning resulted in the death of a passenger in her vehicle. After what police described as "a very active and ongoing traffic homicide investigation," the Lake Wales Police Department obtained an arrest warrant for Jeanette Gonzalez of Lake Wales for DUI Manslaughter. The crash took place on U.S. Highway 27, in front of Weikert Ford, where officers found 38-year-old Eliecer Padilla of Lake Wales deceased...
Business owners lined up at the beginning of the Lake Wales City Commission meeting Tuesday evening to explain to commissioners the various ways they are working to enhance the Lake Wales economy and the Northwest Neighborhood. They joined Florida Development Corp, Inc. COO Derrick Blue and CEO Frank Cornier after a special presentation period was added to the commission agenda. FDC operates the BizLINC business incubator under a $1.2 million contract with the City of Lake...
People often look to their perceived "leaders" for guidance on conduct. In an atmosphere of charged and heated politics on a national level, it is no wonder that people are too often quick to accuse or insinuate wrongdoing even in their hometowns. Lake Wales is not immune from such behavior. Such problems can be exacerbated when evidence arises, as it sometimes will, that political decisions have resulted in unexpected outcomes. When that happens, the solution is neither ignoring the problems nor making wild accusations of...
A development proposal adjacent to Lake Alta on the near north side of Lake Wales has been modified by the developer in an apparent attempt to reach a compromise with neighboring residents. Growth Management Division Director Autumn Cochella attended a Community Redevelopment Agency meeting this week to explain to commissioners that developer J. Walter Homes will bring a new proposal back to the city's Planning and Zoning Board at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 27, calling...
In an effort to help address the need for transportation around the downtown area, City Manager James Slaton and staff have brought another solution forward. The "Squeeze" is an eight-passenger open vehicle which has already proven successful in downtown Lakeland, according to Erin Killebrew, who presented the concept during a special presentation to the Community Redevelopment Agency board. The proposal would provide the vehicle as a free service to riders needing to move...
