Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
Sorted by date Results 226 - 250 of 1231
Two instances of molestation of children by adult authority figures, a minister and a coach, have resulted in the arrest of two individuals by the Polk County Sheriff's Office. In an incident that took place in Frostproof, 20-year-old Skylar Ready of Fort Meade was charged with four felonies related to an illegal and inappropriate relationship with a 17-year-old student at the school, whom he allegedly threatened to kill is she had sex with anyone else. Ready had served as a...
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...
Linda Marie Baker, 61, of Frostproof, FL, passed away on January 20, 2024. Linda was born March 9, 1962, to the late Robert Felesky and Norma Herzog. She moved to Frostproof from Key West in 2014 and lived in Maryland prior to Key West. Linda met the love of her life Butch (Merritt K.) Baker in FL, and they married July 21, 2012. Linda worked for the Polk County Department of Health. Linda was the administrative assistant for the Tobacco Program. She was instrumental in...
AdventHealth Foundation West Florida is delighted to announce the appointment of Leigh Ann Wynn as the new Executive Director for the Polk County region. As a seventh-generation Floridian hailing from Lake Wales, Wynn brings a deep connection to the community and a wealth of experience to her new role. Wynn, born and raised on her family's cattle ranch, embodies the spirit of Central Florida's agricultural roots. Graduating with a bachelor's in public relations and a minor in...
Teachers and other school-based professionals that work directly with students at a local school are invited to apply for a mini-grant that will fund classroom activities. The GFWC Lake Wales Junior Woman's Club Grants for Great Ideas program is offering $5,000 that will be divided into $250l grants to augment teaching, Instructors at Lake Wales Charter Schools and Polk County Public Schools with a physical Lake Wales address are eligible. Grant applications have been sent to...
The most romantic day of the year is going to be a bit more so as multiple couples gather to "tie the knot" on the steps of the Polk County History Center, the former Polk County Courthouse, on Valentine's Day. The free ceremony is limited to 30 couples and registration is first come, first serve. The ceremony will take place on Feb. 14 at noon as Clerk & Comptroller Stacy M. Butterfield hosts the 11th annual group wedding on the steps of the historic building. The ceremony...
Polk State College invites prospective students, their families, and community members to an open house at the Polk State JD Alexander Center on January 25 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at 152 E. Central Ave. in Lake Wales. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet the Center's new Director, Von McGriff, as well as faculty and staff. Tours of the campus, assistance with admission and registration, and information about programs, financial aid, and scholarships will be available....
A historic decline in breast cancer death rates has been partly attributed to improvements in early detection, Lake Wales area patients seeking the best in care can now rely on local resources after AdventHealth Lake Wales cut the ribbon on a new 3D mammography unit. The new technology is designed to provide potentially lifesaving screenings for women and men and fill a critical need in the community. AdventHealth Lake Wales CEO Royce Brown said this new 3D mammography unit wi...
Polk County residents Hap and Chris Hazelwood were the recipients of the Courage Award presented at a luncheon following the 11th Annual 18 Aces to Conquer Cancer Golf Tournament at Winter Haven Country Club. Both are cancer survivors who epitomize the strength it takes to fight the disease. "The goal of 18 Aces to Conquer Cancer is to raise funds for pancreatic cancer, but also to have a fun round of golf for a Great cause!" said Ralph Mahalak Jr., co-owner of the Mahalak...
The wild swings of weather seen in central Florida in recent days is expected to continue this week with a dash of severe threats thrown into the mixture, as the long-predicted El Nino weather pattern takes hold here. The immediate concern is for Tuesday evening, when a strong, fast moving squall line is expected to pass over the Lake Wales Ridge with the potential for damaging winds. Cloud to ground lightning and a slight risk of tornadoes has been forecast as well....
UPDATE: Per Polk County officials, "utility construction scheduled to close Hamlin Street in Lake Wales this week has been postponed until Tuesday morning January 9. Work should be finished, and roadway reopened to traffic by noon Wednesday, January 10. Closure is needed to open-cut both travel lanes on Hamlin Street just north of Grove Avenue to install a potable water line." Initial construction of streets and utilities to serve the 600-unit Hunt Club development will...
Colonel James R. (Jim) Bell, 85, of Babson Park, Florida, died on December 12, 2023, after a brief struggle with lymphoma. He was a decorated Air Force fighter pilot and longtime public servant in multiple positions of civil government. Born April 25, 1938 to Tracy and Dorothy Bell and happily raised in Albany, Georgia, Jim began his flying career as a teenager, achieving his pilot's license in high school. Participating in ROTC during high school and college, he graduated...
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...
A new financial disclosure requirement that has caused hundreds of municipal officials across the state to resign their offices is also having impacts in the Lake Wales area. The state law, which takes effect January 1, requires every elected official in cities, towns, and villages across the state to complete a comprehensive disclosure of income and assets that many consider draconian. The form will replace the simpler, and less invasive, Form 1 previously required. The...
A horrifying discovery by a sheriff's deputy led to the arrest of a Frostproof woman Thursday morning on charges of felony animal cruelty, animal neglect, and elder neglect. A 75-year old woman was removed from the Fazzini Drive mobile home after air monitors proved a hazardous level of ammonia in the home due to animal urine, as well as feces on the floors and walls. Lisa Lacharite, 48, of Frostproof was booked into the Polk County Jail charged with five counts of animal...
December of 1923 saw plenty of changes happening in the growing town of Lake Wales, then with a population of perhaps 2,000. A bit of a land-rush had been initiated weeks before when the "Knee Deep" club laid claim to an island in Crooked Lake. The group hoped to build a clubhouse on the land. New claims were filed that month on two other islands located in Lake Easy. The state "School Land Selecting Agent" responded by ordering the islands surveyed, thus removing them from...
The Polk County Sheriff's Office arrested a pest & lawn service worker twice last week after detectives spoke with two female customers who said the man exposed himself to them during separate incidents. Tyler Mountain, 27, of Lake Wales was charged with Lewd Exhibition (M1) and Lewd Exhibition to an Elderly Person (F3). The investigation began on October 26, 2023 after a 76-year old woman reported that an employee of Massey Services exposed himself to her while he was in her...
Seniors who are feeling that competitive edge and want to show their best moves against a field of peers have their best opportunity of the year fast approaching. Registration for the 31st Annual Polk Senior Games will open January 2 for those wishing to participate in a long list of athletic endeavors. The Games, scheduled for February 24 through March 9, offer a two-week series of 97 Olympic-style events in 38 athletic and recreational sports. They attract over 2,100 men and...
Roberta ("Bobbie") Freeman Harriman, 92, formerly of Lake Wales, FL passed away on Wednesday, November 15, 2023, in Orlando, FL, where she resided with her daughter, Cheryl ("Sheri") Sherman since 2014. Roberta was born in Cordova, AL and enjoyed a childhood filled with adventures on the family farm. She moved to Frostproof, FL in 1942 and graduated from Frostproof High School as salutatorian of the class of 1949. She loved Polk County and moved to Lake Wales where she met...
The realization of a "Big Green Network" of environmental lands that will forever form limits to the potential urbanization of the Lake Wales area drew a step closer this week. Lifelong Lake Wales resident and member of a pioneer family, Edwin Friedlander has offered his 749-acre ranch property for acquisition through the Polk Forever program, approved by voters in 2022. The property was assessed by a "technical advisory team" before being approved by the Conservation Lands...
"Toys on Parade" will dazzle children and adults alike this weekend in Lake Wales as the annual Christmas night parade steps off. The parade happens this Saturday at 6:00 and thousands are expected to line First Street and Central Avenue along the roughly one-mile route. The display of creative and colorfully-lighted floats and bands, along with dancers, musicians, and other examples of holiday cheer is following a new route this year due to ongoing construction on Park...
The big news from 100 years ago included the sale of the historic first box of fruit from the Orphan Grove for $1,000, which was enough to purchase some homes in the city at the time. Other news stories told of an exploratory "oil well" being bored near Polk City. The area is now well-known to be the deepest region of the Floridan Aquifer, which is the source of the area's drinking water. Also in the news was word of yet another expansion to the growing network of paved roads...
Daquan Carey, a 23-year-old Winter Haven man who is a "documented gang member," according to the Polk County Violent Gang Investigative Task Force, was arrested in Winter Haven and charged with numerous felonies related to a drive-by shooting in the Waverly area of Lake Wales. The incident happened on 3rd Street in Waverly at about 3:20 am on November 22, according to a statement from the Polk County Sheriff's office. At that scene detectives met with two victims who reported...
Music fans from around the country are expected to gather in Lake Wales Friday and Saturday, December 1 and 2 as a local non-profit hosts the "Orange Blossom Revue." The annual "celebration of music, community, and nature" is returning the city for a ninth year and is expected to draw crowds of music-lovers to the shores of Lake Wailes. The two-day event features a lineup of top musical acts in a wide range of genres ranging from "R&B to country to folk to jazz," according to...
A Sebring man was killed on US 27 Monday night after failing to slow for a truck making a U-turn at Harbor Drive. Polk County Deputies and Fire Rescue personnel were dispatched to the crash around 7:21pm, according to a police report. First responders found the driver of the GMC deceased in his vehicle. The two-vehicle crash left the driver of the semi-truck, a 34-year old Ocala man, uninjured. PCSO Traffic Homicide Investigations responded to the crash and began collecting...
