Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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A Tuesday night crash has claimed the life of a Frostproof woman as she left her place of employment at the popular Coop in Babson Park. 53-year-old Patricia Robarts of Frostproof left the parking lot and turned onto Waverly Road at about 11:30 pm driving a silver 2018 Kia Stinger. According to reports from the Polk County Sheriff's Office, she stopped at the intersection of Waverly and Scenic Hwy North and then began a left turn onto Scenic Highway. For unknown reasons, her...
A Lake Wales man is dead after speeding into a slower vehicle on US 27 early Saturday morning. Officers from the Lake Wales Police Department responded to calls reporting a vehicle crash on U.S. Highway 27 at 1:13 A.M. Arriving officers at the scene, near Weikert Ford, found 38-year-old Eliecer Padilla of Lake Wales lying deceased in the north bound lanes. A passenger in his 2015 Chevrolet Camaro, 40-year-old Jeanette Gonzalez of Lake Wales, was also ejected from the car and...
"Growth" is a word that means opportunity for some and strikes fear in the hearts of others. It has been the driver of both the economic health and the environmental destruction that has reshaped Florida for more than a century. Rising prosperity has too often been accompanied by traffic congestion, water shortages, urban sprawl, and overcrowding, crushing the quality of life in some parts of the state. While growth has been largely focused on other places, it's now arrived...
Tragedy struck Friday morning as a McLaughlin Middle School student was killed after being struck by a truck while waiting near a school bus stop in the fog. Lake Wales Police Department reports indicate that Jadin Galindo, 13, was waiting for his school bus in the dark at about 6:15 am when he was struck by a 2013 GMC Sierra truck. According to police reports the alleyway where he was sitting, near the intersection of Miami Street and Dr. JA Wiltshire Avenue, near Florida's N...
Representatives of three different first responder organizations were honored at a special luncheon organized by the Lake Wales Area Chamber of Commerce. The event, held at the Lake Wales Arts Center on Thursday, is the second such annual recognition event run by the Chamber, and apparently the only one in this part of Florida. The top honorees, Firefighter EMT George Gibson of Polk County Fire & Rescue, (LtoR) Deputy Sheriff Steven Mills of the Polk County Sheriff's Office,...
Enjoying the beauty of art and accomplishing an important social work at the same time is more than enough to draw a crowd to the annual Empty Bowls Action, and the 2023 edition is likely to prove that the success of the effort continues. The event is free and attendees can taste local soups and bid on bowls hand-painted by local artists and community "celebrities." Empty Bowls is a nationwide program begun in 1990 by an art teacher wanting to teach his students about...
Lake Wales Police are working a traffic investigation as a result of a crash on Scenic Highway. The location of the incident is within a school zone for McLaughlin Middle-Senior High, but the zone was not believed to have been active at the time. A driver attempting to make a left turn from north-bound Scenic Highway to Winston Avenue early Wednesday afternoon was struck from behind by a Honda SUV and pushed more than 200 feet into a streetlight. The streetlight support pole...
Sir Richard V. Giordano KBE, an iconic American business leader who led a transformation of British corporate culture, creator of the BOC Challenge sailing race and Knight Commander of the British Empire for his contributions to British industry, died on December 27, 2022 at 88 years of age at his home in Lake Wales, Florida, surrounded by his family. Born on March 24, 1934, in the Bronx, New York, Giordano was the youngest son of Italian immigrants. A proud product of New...
KT's Sunshine Foundation will host the Southern Sunshine BBQ & Music Festival this weekend in Lake Wailes Park, drawing thousands of fans for the fun, and the purpose. The festival was created in memory of "KT," a nursing student who died in a tragic traffic accident, In its short existence, KT's Sunshine Foundation has awarded $22,000 in scholarships to high school seniors interested in pursuing a medical degree, helped 9 families with funeral expenses, and donated $1,000 to...
Rose Marie Wyrosdick of Lake Wales passed away Saturday, December 10, 2022 at Lakeland Regional Medical Center. She was born August 11, 1955 in Clarksdale, Mississippi to the late Samuel and Dolores Alainz; she moved to Lake Wales from Bowling Green in 1975. Rose was a homemaker by her love to gather, host, and cook for the people she loved and cared for. Everyone was welcome in her home no questions asked. Rose was a strong, inspirational, welcoming, and family oriented...
A rare opportunity to touch and operate a surgical robot got a group of Lake Wales High School medical academy students excited this week, after AdventHealth Lake Wales offered them access to the sophisticated equipment. "This is an exciting day for us. These students are our future health care providers," said AdventHealth Lake Wales President and CEO Royce Brown. "We want to do whatever we can to encourage them to follow their dreams and continue their pursuit of a career...
AdventHealth Lake Wales has received an "A" in patient safety from the prestigious Leapfrog Group, a national patient safety watchdog group that delivers grades based on quality metrics such as a hospital's performance in preventing medical errors, injuries, accidents, and infections. Out of 3,000 hospitals evaluated nationwide, only 30% received this top grade and 115 are awarded as a Top Hospital. The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization that uses their...
Lake Wales Police and firefighters recovered the body of 31-year-old Christopher Shoemaker from Crystal Lake late Friday morning. Shoemaker, of Greeneville, Tennessee, was last seen by friends on Wednesday night, November 30, swimming in the lake, but they were reportedly uncertain if he had left the lake or experienced a problem while in the water, according to a police statement. Officers and Polk County Deputies searched Lake Wailes and Crystal Lake as well as the...
A late-evening shooting Wednesday at a local apartment complex left two men hospitalized and a suspect or suspects being sought by the Lake Wales Police Department. According to Lieutenant M. Smith of the LWPD, the two victims were sitting outside an apartment talking when they heard a series of shots ring out. They both realized they had been hit, and called for help. They also reported that there had been no prior disturbance or argument prior to the incident. At...
A missing woman, a distressed family, and decades of rumors have led the Lake Wales Police Department to reopen a "cold case" investigation that has many questioning why it's taken so long. At Tuesday's City Commission meeting, two residents came forward to challenge an official narrative about the case, stating that the family is "still grieving" and needed closure. The issue was raised only days after a private search and rescue team found evidence that a murder victim likel...
TUESDAY 8:00 PM UPDATE: Hurricane Ian has continued to deepen as it moves toward Florida and model trends continue to shift the track toward the east, bringing the center of circulation over Polk County. Lake Wales is expected to be exposed to winds of up to 100 MPH sustained, with higher gusts. There is also an enhanced chance of tornados in this area. For the latest information on expected impacts to the Lake Wales area, please RETURN TO HOME PAGE The 5:00 Advisory from the...
UPDATE: Hurricane Ian has continued its trek toward Florida, now with 125 MPH winds. Further intensification is expected during the next 24 hours. The storm is now a Category Three, and is projected to reach Category Four status today. For the latest information on expected impacts to the Lake Wales area, please RETURN TO HOME PAGE Projections from the NHC depict that Ian will remain a Major Hurricane as it moves over the west central coast of Florida. Ian is now on a northerl...
Niyom Dowudom, age 82, passed away September 1, 2022, at Bartow Regional Medical Center. He was born August 25, 1940, in Bangkok. He was a Machine operator for International Paper Co. He enjoyed working and watching football. He is survived by a loving family that includes his wife Sue Dowudom, son Sunit Dowudom (Tabatha) and grandchildren William Dowudom & Sarah Carpenter (Keenan). Memorial service will be held Monday, September 12, 2022, at 10:00 AM at Whidden-McLean...
Lake Wales banker Greg Littleton has been elected to serve as chair of the Polk State College's District Board of Trustees by the trustees at their annual reorganization meeting on August 22. Littleton, a Polk State Distinguished Alumnus who graduated in 1987, has served the Board since 2007, including previous terms as Chair and Vice Chair. The Polk County native is President and Chief Executive Officer of Citizens Bank & Trust. In addition to his Polk State Associate in...
A convicted felon and a Lake Wales Police Department canine were killed in a shooting in Lake Wales Wednesday morning. Ernest Borders, 57, was killed in the exchange of gunfire after opening fire after ordered to show his hands by two Lake Wales officers. Police K-9 Max was killed, but both officers escaped without injury. Lake Wales Police Chief Chris Velasquez said that the K-9 died so that the officers could survive. According to a statement issued by the Lake Wales Police...
Saturday, August 13 marked the 18th anniversary of the most destructive hurricane to strike Lake Wales in recent memory, and thankfully the tropics remain quiet so far. Only a weak disturbance drifting westward near Texas is being remarked upon by the National Hurricane Center. The Friday the 13th storm of 2004 was the first of three direct strikes here in only six weeks, an event unprecedented in recorded history. Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne came evenly spaced, three weeks...
Growing a Lake Wales medical practice of his own has long been the vision of one area physician, an outcome that has come to fruition for Dr. Ray Knisley, a board-certified dermatologist. Dr. Knisley is celebrating the first anniversary of his Clear Choice Dermatology clinic here on July 5 after working for other clinics in the area. "I couldn't do this sooner due to a non-compete clause," he said. Clear Choice is presently located in a two-story medical office building at...
AdventHealth clinicians and Bond Clinic in partnership with 10 Polk County high schools provided annual sports physicals to more than 500 pre-registered student athletes to make sure they were fit and well for their upcoming sports seasons. Providers checked blood pressure, height and weight as well as looked for skeletal, mobility and muscular issues. "We want to make sure these students are healthy and ready to participate in their chosen sport. By offering these no cost...
As the 2022 hurricane season begins, a map of Polk County Public Shelters shows that of the 47 shelters listed, only one is located in southeast Polk County, an area stretching east of US 27 and south of Waverly Road from Lake Kissimmee Sate Park to the Highlands County line, and including a population of more than 80,000. Spook Hill Elementary School is the only public shelter for the vast area, which has also previously hosted waves of refugees fleeing storms threatening...
James Bohannon, age 67, passed away May 25, 2022, at Bartow Regional Medical Center. He was born on July 12, 1954, in Bartow, Florida. He was a Surveyor for the Florida Department of Transportation. He enjoyed doing crossword puzzles, sudoku and fishing. He is survived by a loving family that includes his sister Laura Edwards, niece Misti Carnley, nephew Roy Edwards, Jr and great nephews Bradley Chaucey, Jacob Edwards & Nicholas Edwards. Condolences to family at...
