Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
Sorted by date Results 101 - 125 of 495
Government is complicated. Elected officials, even those responsible for leading a city such as Lake Wales with its hundred-million-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...
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....
A "business incubator" operating under a three-year, $1.2 million contract approved by the Lake Wales City Commission appears to be operating in violation of several laws, a five-month-long LakeWalesNews.net investigation has determined. Among questionable practices identified within a web of interconnected businesses are business activity lacking county and city occupational permits, apparent violations of Florida's registered agent law, plagiarism, faked testimonials, and a...
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...
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...
The Lake Wales Highlander of 100 years ago reveals much about the history of our community. 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 Daily Highlander, and under several different names was published six times a...
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...
A "pocket park" lying in a quiet neighborhood of single-family homes on the near north side of the city may be converted to a parking lot to serve a new housing complex, Lake Wales News has learned. The Lake Wales City Commission approved a "consent agenda" item on January 16 transferring ownership of the 3.566 acre Lake Alta Park to the Lake Wales Community Redevelopment Agency. The city commission also sits as the CRA board. That body can negotiate property sales directly to...
Among stories making the front page of the Highlander 100 years ago was a report on the progress of the new State Road 8 which was planned to run to Palm Beach through Okeechobee. The "Conners Highway" is named after the man who was advancing $200,000 towards the project, which was hoped would eventually include a bridge over the Kissimmee River, replacing the ferry that was in temporary use. The road was expected to be in "passable" condition by later that...
The biggest outburst of fun and frivolity in the region, the Lake Wales Mardi Gras is preparing to offer its 40th year of festivities to residents and visitors from far and wide. The event draws an estimated 20,000 to the two-and-half-weeks of activities. Highlighted by a zany parade and two-day music festival, the celebration also features three masquerade dance parties offering live music, and a special "Mardi Gras Pre-Party" that will celebrate the 40 years of event...
Dr. Alexander “Fleet” Ryland, III, 77, of Lake Wales, passed away on Monday, February 5, 2024, surrounded by loved ones at AdventHealth in Lake Wales. Born on April 5, 1946, in Richmond, VA, Fleet was the cherished son of the late Alexander and Brennan Ryland. Growing up primarily in Sarasota, Fleet attended Riverview High School before proudly serving in the Navy. It was during this time that he found his lifelong companion, Theresa, whom he married in 1969. Pursuing his pas...
Controversies including the sudden cancellation of a road bond election by the county commission and a charge that someone illegally added a letter to a bill of deed highlighted local news in early February, 1924. The Lake Wales Highlander faithfully reported on those issues and others affecting the fast-growing community of Lake Wales. Meanwhile, the Lake Wales Woman's Club was conducting their second "Plant a Palm Day" tag sale to help beautify the city....
Music and entertainment fans will welcome the news of a sensational series of free Friday night concerts that promise to infuse the community with camaraderie, live music, and entertainment. The series is planned for Orange Avenue in the heart of Downtown Lake Wales. The new Friday Night Live series is a collaboration of the Lake Wales Arts Council with the City of Lake Wales and Lake Wales Main Street. The Arts Council "is delighted to unveil the much-anticipated Lake Wales...
The public is invited to take a seat at the table this Tuesday to discuss economic development in the Lake Wales area to "increase the city's economic health." The community forum is an opportunity for residents to help "identify key community assets, set goals and increase the City's economic health," according to organizers. The effort has been made possible by FloridaCommerce through a Competitive Florida Partnership grant that will enable the City to identify those assets...
The January 30, 1924 issue of the Highlander was filled with significant reports, including one claiming that Polk County, with it's sparse population, had been recorded as having the highest per capita income in the nation. A second story indicated part of the reason: at 70,000 acres,Polk County had more acreage of citrus planted than the next five Florida counties combined. The surge of planting here had already generated immense wealth, and Lake Wales was the center of the...
A murder, a automobile crash on Scenic Highway, and the doings of the Board of Trade were among the topics that made the front page of The Highlander 100 years ago this week. Within the pages of the paper was a broadside explanation of the new rules being proposed to govern the sales of citrus. Those rules eventually led to state laws that required fruit to meet a number of standards. The evolving industry eventually shifted from selling fresh fruit to canned, then to...
The concern of local residents in 1924 was the widening of Scenic Highway, not to four lanes, bu to four rods, enough to allow two motor vehicles to safely pass each other.The project to widen that road, then SR No. 8, required the right-of-way to be at least 66 feet wide the entire way, Since part of the ROW was only 60 feet wide, a local committee was set up to see about obtaining the necessary land to widen the road, which was considered essential for the growth of...
The guiding axiom of theatre is "the show must go on," and that's exactly the spirit exhibited by the resilient troupe of actors at Lake Wales Little Theatre as they present "Bed, Breakfast, and Broadway" at their intimate playhouse at 411 North Third Street. Described as a show within a show within a show, the play starts out as a situation comedy, and evolves into a farcical romp as mistaken identities and creative twists are tossed into the mix. Director Nicholas Bique, a...
More convenient public parking downtown, the subject of repeated merchant requests, will be addressed soon, according to city officials. Converting a private parking lot to a city-owned facility is on the agenda of the next meeting of the Lake Wales Community Redevelopment Agency The board will consider the purchase of the privately-owned lot at the corner of Park Avenue and First Street at their January 9 meeting. The move is viewed as part of the ongoing reinvigoration...
A housing boom in Lake Wales is not an unprecedented thing, as 100 years ago the young city was experiencing the same thing as 78 new homes were built in 1923, without filling the demand. During the early 1920s Florida was in the midst of the Great Florida Land Boom, a speculative bubble that eventually collapsed but left Lake Wales and a hundred other towns with an enormous inventory of new buildings, including the unique collection of masonry structures that dominate the...
The new year of 1924 started out with big news in the community of Lake Wales as voters apparently chose to fund a new county hospital, a b ig achievement for the largely-rural county. Roads were being paved and widened to connect the network of small towns that were sprinkled across the more than 2,000 square miles of Polk, while railroad lines were also being extended to allow the quick passage of freight and passengers to and from northern markets. Citrus was the big...
As 1923 drew to a close the growing Lake Wales area was documented by the writers of the Lake Wales Highlander, led by editor and publisher J. E. Worthington. A major topic of the time citrus fruit quality as some growers were picking the fruit too soon and shipping green fruit to northern markets, damaging the reputation of the state's product as a whole. The lack of enforcements mechanisms for quality standards was a hot topic for the burgeoning citrus industry, which was...
Improvements to the Lake Wales Northwest Recreation Complex on Florida Avenue are on the way after the city received a $50,000 recreation grant from the state. The sports facility is the home of Frasier Field and hosts a variety of other recreational activities along with picnic facilities. The grant from the Florida Recreational Development Assistance Program, known as FRDAP, will pay for improvements to basketball and tennis courts, two new picnic tables, and fencing at the...
