Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 162
Samuel Torres-Martinez of Lakeshore passed away Wednesday, July 17, 2024 at Lakeland Hospice House. He was born April 27, 1938 in Manati, Puerto Rico to the late Enrique and Andrea Torres; he moved to Lakeshore from Puerto Rico 13 years ago. Samuel was an air conditioning repair man and a veteran of the United States Army. He enjoyed playing dominos, riding motorcycles, and dancing with his wife. Samuel was preceded in death by his son, Jorge Luis Torres-Sifuentes in November...
Polk County history is filled with fascinating stories of the people who pioneered the communities we live in today, but few resonate like that of L.B. Brown. Less than two hundred years separate the bustling cities and transportation networks that define Florida from the pristine conditions that existed during the thousands of years when the First Nations people occupied this land. Prior to Emancipation, much of the work of building towns along the Florida frontier was laid...
William Braunlin of Lake Wales passed away Saturday, May 11, 2024 at AdventHealth Lake Wales. He was born September 10, 1948 in New Jersey City, New Jersey to the late William and Isabell Braunlin; he was a resident of Lake Wales for most of his life. William was a cab driver and a veteran of the United States Marines. He was a very friendly person who loved fishing and talking to people. William is survived by his wife of 55 years, Sharon Braunlin. No services are scheduled...
Dean Burbank, age 80, passed away April 30, 2024, at Bartow Regional Medical Center. He was born on April 30, 1944, in Pleasantville, IA to the late Russel Merton Burbank & Mary Evelyn Burbank. He graduated from Pleasantville High School in 1962, St. Bernard College in 1967 with a BA in Mathematics and University of Alabama in 1979 with a MS in Applied Mathematics. He was a United States Air Force Veteran serving as a B52 Navigator Bombardier in Vietnam. He received the...
Lake Wales City Manager James Slaton is on a short list of finalists under consideration to serve as city manager of New Smyrna Beach. Two Lake Wales city commissioners reached by Lake Wales News were unaware, and withheld comment. Slaton, 46, has managed the city for almost four years after the prior city manager, Ken Fields, was forced to resign by unhappy commissioners. Slaton was offered the job in October 2020 after having served as an interim manager for over five months...
An afternoon or evening of entertainment with a couple of surprise twists is in store for theatre fans in "Every Little Crook and Nanny," opening today, April 12, at Lake Wales Little Theatre. A talented cast and the directorial expertise of Larry Helms combine to create a fun performance of a comedy that manages to wrap itself around a bit of a "who-done-it" mystery. The ensemble cast features its own array of surprises, with strong performances all around, showcasing the...
(NAPSI)-Addressing climate change is an all-hands-on-deck undertaking. It requires a smarter, stronger, and cleaner energy grid that provides affordable, reliable power when and where people need it. The grid of the future will have to be at least twice the size of what it is today-most likely even bigger. That means jobs-thousands and thousands of them across a wide variety of industries, from manufacturing technology, such as batteries and wind turbines, to electric vehicle...
William Newton "Bill" Mitchell, Jr. of Lake Wales passed away Wednesday, March 27, 2024 at his residence. He was born February 18, 1961 in Hollywood to the late William and Aldean Mitchell. Bill loved his job as a maintenance technician for Water's Edge and was a veteran of the United States Air Force. He was an avid crocheter, scuba diver, sky diver, orchid gardener, mechanic, and surfer. He was a Disney fan and especially liked Jiminy Cricket. Bill is survived by his wife...
Linda Green Robertson of Lake Wales passed away Monday, March 4, 2024 at her residence. She was born March 10, 1947 in Lake Wales to the late Jesse and Josie Green; she has been a lifelong resident of the area. Linda was a retired real estate loan officer and was a veteran of the United States Navy. She loved to cook and freeze food, gardening, and painting. Linda loved her family, children, and grandchildren dearly. Linda was preceded in death by her husband, Russell...
The two-and-a-half weeks of the 40th annual Lake Wales Mardi Gras festivities are rapidly approaching their climax as hundreds of "krewe" members prepare for the combined parade on Saturday, February 10. The series of masquerade parties and musical events mark the days of the pre-Lenten "Carnival" season here. Last week's kickoff party, hosted by the Krewe Renaissance, will be followed by the Saturday, Feb. 3 Blacklight Ball sponsored by the Loyal Order of Wild Shiners....
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...
Asbestos was once a celebrated building material, a staple in shipbuilding during the 20th century due to its singular heat resistance and insulating properties. The mineral was a lurking danger, emerging when its microscopic fibers became airborne and were inhaled. It was too often an ignored threat, Every branch of the U.S. Military - including the Army, Air Force, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and Navy - applied products made with asbestos for decades. However, Navy personnel...
Robert St. Clair Price of Frostproof passed away Sunday, October 8, 2023 at The Club of Lake Wales. He was born January 22, 1928 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to the late St. Clair and June Price; he and his wife Joyce were winter residents of Frostproof for 30 years before becoming permanent residents 15 years ago. Robert was a retired technician for Eastman-Kodak Photography and a veteran of the United States Army Air Corp. He loved to do needlepoint, read, complete...
As the City of Lake Wales faces an onslaught of development proposals totaling more than 14,000 residential units, a responsive city government is making the needed adjustments to meet the challenge. Veteran planner Brian Herrmann has recently been hired to head the city's Growth Management division, a department formerly known as "Development Services." The department name change is reflection of the determination of city leadership to cope and direct the unstoppable pressure...
John Spencer Waldrop of Lake Wales passed away Tuesday, September 19, 2023 at Forsythe Hospice House in Auburndale. He was born February 5, 1941 in Bonifay to the late Leonard and Pearl Waldrop. He moved to Lake Wales from Gainesville in 1969. John was a science and agriculture teacher for McLaughlin Middle School and Lake Wales Junior High School and was a veteran of the United States Army. John is survived by his wife of 60 years, Barbara Ann Waldrop; daughter, Diane Nave...
Joseph William DePietro of Frostproof passed away Tuesday, August 1, 2023 at his residence. He was born July 9, 1936 in Boston, Massachusetts to the late Joseph and Phyllis DePietro; he moved to Frostproof from Randolph, Massachusetts in 1982. Joseph was a retired heavy equipment operator and a part-time jeweler. He was a veteran of the United States Army who served from 1956 until 1958 in Korea. Joseph taught opal cutting at the William Holland School of Lapidary Arts in...
Adrian Roland McEachern of Lake Wales passed away Wednesday, June 7, 2023 at Somers Hospice House in Sebring. He was born June 30, 1940 in Boston, Massachusetts to the late Alexander and Pauline McEachern; he moved to Lake Wales from Derry, New Hampshire in 1991. Adrian was a retired warehouse manager for FFE Transportation and a veteran of the United States Army. He enjoyed walking around the lake. He loved his wife and was a loving husband, father, and grandfather. Adrian...
Having a passion for bingo can lead to lifelong friends and even enemies. This latest musical at Lake Wales Little Theatre takes you on a hilarious journey you don't want to miss. Their first musical production since Single Wide in 2020 is running now through April 30th. "Bingo The Winning Musical" features a dynamic, fun, and personality-filled trio of women. Vern, played by Stacey DeCosmo, Honey, played by Xela Pinkerton, and Patsy. played by Nanette Watson. These women...
Honoring those who have served to defend is a longstanding tradition in nations around the world, no less so in the United States. The freedoms we enjoy, so easily eroded from within, were also defended from foreign enemies by those who have donned the uniforms of our five branches of service. March 31 marks the end of what is considered by many the saddest of America's military efforts. Tens of thousands died in the futile conflict, both military and civilian. Opposition to...
March 31, 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the final withdrawal of US military forces from Vietnam, ending more than a decade of fighting in support of the government of South Vietnam. At its peak in the late 1960's more than 500,000 Americans were serving in-country, and a million others were working in support of the massive effort. Some 282,000 US and allied forces were killed in the fighting, many soldiers of the Army of Vietnam. An estimate by the Department of Defense...
John Phillips Beck of Lake Wales passed away Saturday, February 11, 2023 at his residence. He was born July 2, 1931 in Chicago, Illinois to the late Ira and Mildred Beck; he moved to Lake Wales from Athens, Michigan in 1999. John was retired from Floyd Wonser Supply Company in Battle Creek, Michigan and was a veteran of the United States Army. He was a member of First Presbyterian Church of Lake Wales and the Farm Equipment Wholesalers Administration. John was previously a...
Noah N. Carbone of Lake Wales passed away Tuesday, February 14, 2023 at AdventHealth Lake Wales. He was born November 14, 1933 in Newark, New Jersey to the late Noe and Anna Carbone; he moved to Lake Wales from New Jersey 29 years ago. Noah was a veteran of the United States National Guard and of the Catholic faith. He was a Hamm Radio operator and was a fan of baseball, football, and hockey. Noah married his high school sweetheart Barbara on February 14, 1953. Noah was...
Raymond Lee French of Babson Park passed away Thursday, February 2, 2023 at his residence. He was born August 10, 1930 in Kalamazoo, Michigan; he moved to Babson Park from West Palm Beach 18 years ago. Raymond was a retired Air Traffic Controller and a veteran of the United States Army who served in the Korean war and earned the Bronze Star. He was the past director at Audubon Society and a past City Councilman for Hillcrest Heights. He loved model car collecting and...
It was a relaxed Mark Bennett who shared his thoughts about the many changes both ahead and behind in Lake Wales and Polk County recently. Bennett is stepping down as director of the City of Lake Wales Development Services department after an eventful 30 months in a role he called "challenging, demanding, stressful." During his time at the helm of city planning Bennett has dealt with a wave of annexation requests as owners of declining citrus properties weigh their options...
Feeding veterans and their families and aiding in preventing suicides is a pretty significant contribution to Polk County residents, and the Dyer family has taken the time to recognize that effort. Last year, the All Veterans Center in Polk County helped feed over 34,000 veterans and their families. You might think that's a pretty amazing accomplishment, and it is, but it's not all the All Veterans Center did last year. The nonprofit organization which assists veterans, their...
