Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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Former Lake Wales city commissioner Kris Fitzgerald, who was removed from office after being charged with two felonies, has been found not guilty in a jury trial. Fitzgerald was arrested June 3, 2021 after being sworn in to office in May on the two felony charges. She was released from the Polk County Jail after posting $11,000 bond. Polk Sheriff Grady Judd boasted of the arrest at a press conference, claiming that he had taken a dangerous criminal off the street. "Can you...
A search for closure for the family of Debbie Williams, listed as a "missing person" since 1990, took a major step forward on Tuesday as City of Lake Wales engineering contractor Semco began an investigation of the structural integrity of an aging frame house on Wiltshire Drive. Lake Wales Police were supporting the effort, removing personal belongings from the house to be stored, allowing for the removal of flooring. The current residents of the home are not part of the...
The early morning forecast from the National Hurricane Center confirms that once Sub-Tropical Storm Nicole is transitioning to a Tropical Storm, and is likely to reach Hurricane strength as it moves through the northern Bahamas before impacting Florida's east coast. The change has implications for the Lake Wales area. Still retaining the extremely-broad wind field of an extra-tropical system, Nicole is now developing an inner core of strong winds, which will likely bring a...
After rejecting the only response received from a private developer regarding the Seminole Hotel, the Lake Wales Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) is taking a completely different approach. The building features prominently in plans for downtown revitalization in the Lake Wales Connected plans. "We're going to do it all over again," said City Manager James Slaton of the failure of the Request for Proposals (RFP) process. Despite multiple expressions of interest in the...
The approach of Storm Nicole has many Lake Wales area residents on edge, but this system is unlikely to be much like what we would normally expect from a hurricane.. As a "sub-tropical" storm Nicole has a much different structure, and the location of the exact center of the system will make little or no difference in regards to impacts. Sub-tropical storms typically lack the intense inner core and eye-wall structure found in hurricanes, instead dispersing their intensity over...
A special free learning opportunity is being offered to area Middle and High School students, who will learn and earn a special completion certificate as "Student Naturalists."The program is being offered in special Saturday events at Lake Wales Public Library, and will be led by certified Florida educators. The three-hour educational program, described as "a fun experience," is being hosted by Lake Wales Heritage, a local non-profit endeavoring to recreate the "garden city"...
A special free learning opportunity is being offered to area Middle and High School students, who will learn and earn a special completion certificate as "Student Naturalists."The program is being offered in special Saturday events at Lake Wales Public Library, and will be led by certified Florida educators. The three-hour educational program is being hosted by Lake Wales Heritage, a local non-profit endeavoring to recreate the "garden city" envisioned by city founders. While...
The City of Lake Wales has been cited as a significant cultural landscape in the 2022 Landslide report issued by The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF). According to the national organization, the city's origins and Olmsted patrimony place it among the cultural treasures recognized in the annual report. The report, which was distributed to national media this week, salutes the work of Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., who "completed a comprehensive plan for...Lake Wales,...
With election season upon us, Lake Wales Little Theatre is presenting a timeless and hilarious comedy that skewers politics and celebrates democracy. The action takes place in the office of the governor of a small state. In the wake of Gov. Larry Paige's ouster for a scandal involving a beauty pageant contestant, the job is thrust on Lt. Gov. Ned Newley. Newley doesn't even want to be governor. He's terrified of public speaking and his poll numbers are impressively bad. To...
Beverly went to Heaven with the children she deeply loved by her side, her son, Glenn; daughter, Tracy; and son-in-law, David White. The feeling was mutual. Her children both believe they had the best mother in the galaxy. Beverly had a zest for life that she enjoyed to the fullest. Married to George for 53 years who preceded her in death in 2017, his passion for travel took the family around the globe, favorites being Lake Tahoe and Paris. There wasn't a dance she couldn't...
More than $466,000 will flow to two Lake Wales cultural organizations from Polk County "bed tax" designed to promote overnight stays in area hotels, according to Kris Keprios, Senior Tourism Sales and Marketing Manager of Polk County's Tourism and Sports Marketing Division. "The Arts, Culture and Heritage sponsorships assist arts organizations by stretching their marketing dollars so they can draw more visitors to their events from outside of the county," Keprios said in a...
A concerted effort to attract new businesses to Lake Wales now includes the hiring of a consulting firms to help market the area to prospective retail and restaurant chains. The plan has been approved by the city commission, and work on the recruitment is expected to begin shortly. Calling it a "strategic plan for recruitment," City Manager James Slaton explained that the $40,000 contract with Retail Strategies "absolutely compliments efforts by the city and the Lake Wales...
Redevelopment of a long-vacant apartment building on Park Avenue is awaiting final action by the Lake Wales City Commission next Tuesday. An agreement allowing the Lake Wales Care Center to close on the purchase of the property at 282 East Park Avenue is the next required step to the potential remodeling and reuse of the apartment building . If the deal moves forward, it will bring new life to the downtown area and boost the city's goal of "strategic density" in support of...
After tearing through a schedule that was expected to present challenges, the Lake wales Highlanders take on their district foes, the Liberty High School Chargers, tonight in Kissimmee. At 0-7 on the season the Osceola County team is not expected to present a a serious obstacle. Now ranked in the top slot among in 3-S District 8 teams, and 5th statewide in the re-shuffled state classification system, the Highlanders have been led through their remarkable season by senior...
An exhibition of art inspired by nature is happening now at the Lake Wales Arts Center. The exhibit highlights the successes of the 1994 referendum with hopes of motivating the public to go out and enjoy our public lands and to encourage them to vote yes for the new referendum. Polk Forever, a non-partisan Political Committee formed to bring back conservation funding for Polk County, is hosting the exhibit at the Arts Center. The group sees water protection and land...
Lake Wales area homeowners and business owners are eligible for Federal disaster relief following a declaration of disaster by President Joe Biden. The Small Business Administration (SBA) is preparing to render federal disaster assistance as quickly as possible to Polk County's small business owners and critical disaster relief to homeowners. Disaster loans up to $200,000 are available to homeowners to repair or replace disaster-damaged or destroyed real estate. Homeowners...
A chance to win "Mediterranean Elegance", an original acrylic, painted and framed by the late artist Jane Fronappel, is being made available for a limited time by the Lake Wales Branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW). The shady haven that inspired this award-winning painting is El Retiro, formerly known as the Pinewood Estate, located at Bok Tower Gardens. This bucolic spot has been visited by thousands, yet remains a lovely, peaceful retreat, ripe for...
Carol Benson Lassiter passed away Sunday, October 9, 2022 at her residence. Carol was born on January 23, 1931 in High Springs, Florida to Arthur V. and Glendora (Covert) Benson. She came to Lake Wales in 1952 after graduating from Florida State University. She met Harold A. Lassiter in 1953 and they married in June of 1954. Carol was a homemaker and educator with the Polk County School System for 33 years. She was also the lead teacher in 1957 of the Methodist preschool in...
Polk County voters have three easy ways to vote in the November 8th General Election, according to Supervisor of Elections, Lori Edwards: At your Precinct. Polling locations will be open from 7 am until 7 pm on Election Day. Vote by Mail. Requests can be made by calling the Elections Office or visiting PolkElections.gov. The last day voters can request a ballot to be mailed for this election is Saturday, October 29th. All mail ballots must be returned to the Supervisor of...
Bette B. Ryan of Lake Wales passed away Friday, October 7, 2022 at AdventHealth Lake Wales. She was born November 20, 1934. The daughter of Jerry B. Bruce and Lucille R. Bruce of Memphis, Tennessee. Bette attended the University of Alabama and graduated from Southwestern University, now Rhodes College where she was Chi Omega. After working for Southern Airways in Memphis, she continued her career as a travel consultant which afforded her trips to many countries including a...
A civic organization working to re-create a historic landscaping plan in Lake Wales is seeking community help. Lake Wales Heritage is a non-profit group working to re-plant the 1930 landscape plan created by Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. "We need to find some helpies," said Heritage director and volunteer Tish Sheesley, citing the several projects the group is tackling. Alongside the tree-planting effort, the organization is launching an educational program for middle school stude...
John Richard Seymour of Lake Wales, FL died on Tuesday, September 27, 2022 at his residence. He was 73. He was born on May 20, 1949 in Danville, Illinois. He had been a resident of Lake Wales since 1952. Mr. Seymour was retired from Bok Tower Gardens and was a member of the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in Lake Wales. He is preceded in death by his father, Charles Seymour; mother, Kay Seymour; and brothers, Mickey Seymour, and Thomas Seymour. He is survived by his...
As Breast Cancer Awareness month is observed in October it draws attention to a treatable disease that remains one of the most common forms of cancer in the United States. Facing a diagnosis of cancer and the effects of treatment is a challenge for thousands of Florida residents, including many in the Lake Wales area. The challenge of maintaining a home while undergoing treatment is overwhelming for many, especially for those who live alone, but there is n affordable source...
Travis Michael Wilbanks of Lake Wales passed away Tuesday, September 27, 2022 at AdventHealth Lake Wales. He was born March 13, 1995 in Winter Haven. Travis was the manager at Bonefish Grill and loved to work on cars. He loved music and played the guitar. He enjoyed working out, especially running and was in the High School Band. Travis loved his family and his brothers; he was caring and compassionate. Travis is survived by his mother, Dedra LaSalle; father, Michael Wilbanks...
Unwilling to relax and call it a season, some Florida residents are keeping a close eye on the tropics as some models show a continuing parade of tropical waves moving off Africa and marching across the Atlantic. Unusually warm water temperatures across the basin are continuing to sustain the potential for development. The Lake Wales area has enjoyed delightful fall-like weather in the aftermath of the passage of Hurricane Ian, which brought up to two feet of rain and high...
