Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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Maria Tovar just achieved two major milestones: she obtained her high school equivalency diploma (GED) and became the 100th person to accomplish that goal with the help of the Lake Wales Family Literacy Academy. Cleaning houses for a living and taking care of her 5- and 8-year-old children kept her so busy that there were times she thought about quitting. She dropped out of Lake Wales High School her junior year and wasn't sure she would ever be able to earn a GED or go to...
The Polk County Public Schools district is recruiting bus drivers and attendants for the next school year, hoping to prevent the driver shortage that resulted in bus delays at the start of last year. The district operates a fleet of 511 buses traveling about 61,000 miles per day, transporting about 50,000 students to 121 schools, making 9,200 bus stops along 2,700 routes, according to the transportation department's website. That travel totals nearly 11 million miles per...
Community Health Systems, Inc. announced Wednesday, May 22 it plans to sell Lake Wales Medical Center to AdventHealth, a faith-based, not-for-profit health system headquartered in Altamonte Springs. The corporation said the Lake Wales sale will include not only the 160-bed hospital, but also its respective assets, physician clinic operations and outpatient services. In addition to the hospital, Lake Wales Medical Center includes a Wound Healing Center, adult and geriatric...
William Winston Gullie, 90, of Lake Wales, passed away Thursday, May 23 at the Lake Wales Medical Center. He was born May 19, 1929 in Durham, NC to the late Charles Vernon and Catherine Grace (Crabtree) Gullie. Winston was a retired retail manager having managed TG&Y, Grants, and Kress which led him to travel around the country. He was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Lake Wales and a member many years ago with the Jaycee’s in Americus, GA. He also played softball in Americus, GA and church softball in M...
Ronny Lee Correll, 65, of Indian Lake Estates passed away Friday, May 24 at Lake Wales Medical Center. He was born August 22, 1953 in Huntington, IN to the late James R. and Betty J. (Pressler) Correll. He has been a resident of the area for 1 ½ years coming from Loxahatchee, FL. He was a retired stock clerk for Publix. He loved to cook and was very good at it and enjoyed lobstering. Survivors include his wife Caroline "Carrie" Correll, son Daniel Lee Correll and his...
Proud parents, grandparents, neighbors and friends came out with balloons, flowers, smiles and a few tears Friday, May 24 to celebrate the graduation of 351 Lake Wales High School seniors. Legion Field was standing-room-only for the annual celebration, marking the passage of the Class of 2019 into the "real world." Much of the ceremony was traditional. The JROTC color guard marched in and presented the flag for the pledge of allegiance. The band and orchestra played the proces...
Hope Ramsey, 49 of Ocoee, formerly of Babson Park, died May 27 at the Orlando Health Regional Medical Center in Orlando, Florida under Cornerstone Hospice Care. She was born Oct. 21, 1969. Services are incomplete. Epps Memorial Funeral Home in Lake Wales is in charge of arrangements....
James Ros Welborn, 63, of Quincy, Florida, passed away on Monday, May 20 surrounded by family and friends, after a long battle with cancer. Ros was born September 9, 1955, in Lake Wales to Clayton "Poncho" Welborn and Margaret "Peggy" Welborn. He attended Lake Wales High School. Ros was employed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in 1983. He worked more than 30 years with the "Game Company" as he loved to call it and retired in 2014. He previously served...
Clinton Gilbert Morrison, 98, of Lake Wales passed away Sunday, May 19 at Water's Edge in Lake Wales. He was born October 8, 1920, in Great Neck, Long Island, New York, to the late Charles E. and Marie D. (White) Morrison. He was a World War II U.S. Navy veteran, having served as a Pharmacist Mate, First Class, (Corpsman), attached to the Marine Corp in the Pacific Theater. He spent his career in the medical supply field and was the owner of Hazleton Medical Supply in Hazleton...
Charles A. Parsons Sr., 69, of Indian Lake Estates passed away Sunday, May 12 at the Lake Wales Medical Center. He was born November 9, 1949 in Oswego, NY to the late Walter R. and Freda Mae (Andrews) Parsons Sr. He has been a resident of the area for 25 years coming from Ft. Myers. He was self-employed as an aluminum installer. Charles was a member of the Moose Lodge, he loved going out to River Ranch for over 40 years, and he loved to fish and hunt. He is preceded in death...
The Lake Wales Area Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Council at its annual awards gala May 9 presented two local companies with Carl F. Durso Excellence in Business Awards. The small business winner was Capo Security and the larger business award went to Grow Healthy. Durso was a longtime Lake Wales supporter and Chamber executive director. Criteria for the award includes length of time in the community, number of employees, growth or expansion of the business...
Three individuals, two businesses and one service organization will be honored Thursday, May 7 at the annual fundraising gala hosted by the Lake Wales Area Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Council. The event theme is "Feeling Groovy," and many attendees are expected to dress in costumes from the 1970s. The event is scheduled from 6-9 p.m. in the Lake Ashton Banquet Hall. Tickets are $75 for individuals and $1,000 for a table of 8. Other sponsorship levels are...
For the 7th consecutive year, Lake Wales Medical Center's Wound Healing Center has received the Robert A. Warriner III, M.D., Center of Excellence award from Healogics for outstanding patient outcomes and superior patient satisfaction ratings. To achieve the award, the Wound Healing Center must achieve patient satisfaction rates higher than 92 percent, and a healing rate of at least 91 percent in less than 30 median days to heal. "We are very proud of this award, but more...
William Allen Martin, III, 70, of Lake Wales, passed Wednesday, May 1 at the Lake Wales Medical Center. He was born September 10, 1948 in Montgomery, WV and he has been a lifelong resident of this area. William was a mechanic, loved his animals and was a veteran serving in the US Navy. Survivors include many close friends. No services are scheduled. Marion Nelson Funeral Home of Lake Wales is in charge of arrangements....
Here is a compilation of recent articles of relevance to our readers. I hope that's something just for you! From NPR.org: Are compassionate doctors better at their jobs? The short answer? Yes. In their new book Compassionomics, two physicians lay out their research findings about the win-win effects of compassionate care. When doctors take the time to make human connections that help end suffering, patient outcomes improve and medical costs decrease. It also helps health care...
Mary Ann Moore, 87 of Lake Wales passed away Wednesday, May 1 at Lakeland Regional Medical Center. She was born January 12, 1932 in Perry, GA to the late Luther Wilburn Grant and Willie Stembridge Grant and she has been a lifelong resident of this area. She was an administrative professional and a homemaker. Mary was a member of the Westside Baptist Church. She was preceded in death by her husband, Charles Moore and her son Grant Moore Survivors include her daughter, Dedra LaSalle and her children, Jacob, Travis and Mikey...
Christopher “Chris” Douglas Gaborik, 62, of Babson Park, Florida passed away Wednesday, April 24 at the Lake Wales Medical Center. He was born May 31, 1956 in Haines City. Chris loved fishing and his dog. He is preceded in death by his father Lincoln Peter Gaborik, son Christopher Gaborik Jr. He is survived by his mother Nancy Lee Becker of Babson Park, wife Lunnelle Whittle, sister Cindy Lee Whitesell, brothers Jerry Lincoln Gaborik, Lester David Gaborik and Marty Gaborik. Family will receive friends from 6 p.m. until 7 p.m...
Lake Wales Medical Center is seeking applicants for its Patient Advisory Council. "Having patients and family members give their perspective on their hospital experience provides invaluable information to us as a means to improve the overall patient experience," said Andrea Clyne, Chief Nursing Officer. "So we've formed this Patient Advisory Council to offer insights to us." Feedback received from the Council will be used to improve hospital operations, patient safety,...
Charles H. “C.A.” Antley, 69, of Lake Wales passed away Saturday, April 27 at Lawnwood Regional Medical Center in Fort Pierce. He was born December 25, 1949 in Lake Wales to the late William Hubert Antley and Doshie Grace McCracken and has been a lifelong resident of the area. He was a self-employed building contractor and member of the Impact Church. He enjoyed spending time with his family and woodworking. Charles was preceded in death by his wife, Jenita Antley; son, Josh Antley; granddaughter, Jessica Wallace; and bro...
Lake Wales police joined officers from Bartow, Haines City and the Polk County Sheriff's Department as part of the Polk County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force investigation that resulted in 44 arrests, three warrants and the seizure of 50 pounds of methamphetamines with a street value of $1.4 million. The task force also seized $50,000 in U.S. currency and assets along with four firearms. According to the sheriff's department, the suspects were collectively...
Jim Davis is well known for rigorously training highly-skilled professionals for Central Florida fire departments, and that includes instilling in firefighters the importance of honor. After 42 years in the fire service, 30 years as a part-time fire instructor at Ridge Technical College, and nearly a decade as a Polk State Fire Science Technology Coordinator, Davis continues to pass on his traits of respect and selflessness in addition to the technical skills individuals need...
Did you know keeping money in cash, checking, CDs and money market can increase your risk? Okay, let me be honest and admit that first sentence is intended to grab your attention; however, the statement is 100 percent true! Allow me to explain. I am quite certain when people use the word "risk", they are referring to market risk and/or security risk. If that is one's only concern, then CDs and cash are going to offer you the lowest level of risk. However, it is prudent to...
Without hesitation, most of us will share our vacation plans with loved ones; but when it comes to end-of-life preferences, only one third of Americans will let family know how they want to be cared for in the event of a life-threatening illness, according to a study published in the July 2017 issue of the journal Health Affairs. This means most people have not exercised their right to make decisions about their healthcare in the event they cannot speak for themselves....
Talking with a parent about estate planning is never easy. Here are some conversation starters that can help adult children and their parents plan. In 2020, it is projected that Americans older than 65 now will total 56 million, a number that is expected to climb significantly as Baby Boomers retire over the next two decades. Even with this "graying of America," a recent survey showed that only 42% of adult Americans have any kind of estate planning documents at all,...
Noemi Fort, Administrative Assistant in Engineering, was named Employee of the Month for February for Lake Wales Medical Center. Fort was honored for picking up additional responsibilities in the department after some personnel changes. "She does whatever is necessary to help keep the Engineering department running smoothly," a supervisor wrote in nominating her for the award. Lake Wales Medical Center is a 160-bed acute care hospital that has been serving the greater Lake...
