Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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Due to lack of rain, Polk County has experienced dry weather conditions for an extensive period of time, therefore Polk County Fire Rescue has issued a burn ban. The increase in risk of brush fires and uncontrolled fires are a threat to the public health, safety and general welfare of Polk County. There are also no signs of abatement of these dangerous fire conditions anytime soon. The burn ban includes, but is not limited to: • Campfires • Bonfires • Unpermitted contr...
Collaboration between different city departments is a daily occurrence at Lake Wales City Hall. But one of the more unique partnerships help show the good side of Lake Wales and is an important tool in putting bad guys behind bars. A city police drone is one of the latest tool's in the department's crime fighting tool kit. But part of the purchase price was covered by the Lake Wales Community Redevelopment Agency, which uses the drone to provide aerial video of projects like...
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is reminding anyone on the water to slow down and look out for manatees while boating in Florida this spring. As water temperatures warm, manatees naturally disperse from their winter habitats, traveling to other areas of the state and beyond. Manatees are leaving their winter refuges and are more likely to be in rivers, canals and nearshore waters. Florida boaters are also enjoying the season, so it is crucial to sta...
Citizen Support Services is a group of people from our community who volunteer their time, talent, and financial assistance to support and advocate for needs that exist within Lake Wales, where existing service organizations are not well positioned to support or coordinate. Citizens of Lake Wales, in partnership with leadership from several community service organizations, aim to ensure support and equity is provided to citizens in need. During the month of December, members...
As severe thunderstorms are rolling through Lake Wales this morning, I am reminded that we are truly at God's mercy, and He sustains us. It can be frustrating to plan our day, our week, our job search, our special event, our retirement, our funerals, etc; only to have things like ailments, illnesses, flat tires, weather, power/wi-fi outages, other people, newly discovered home repair needs, company layoffs, or world-wide pandemics upset our plan. Personally, I have attempted...
The Boy Scouts of America's regional Greater Tampa Bay Area Council will honor local sheriff's offices with Participating Citizenship Awards in a series of virtual events from Oct. 26-28. The local Council previously honored Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd with the 2008 Boy Scouts of America Distinguished Citizen Award for service to young people. The Badge of Honor Virtual Event "recognizes the selfless service of local heroes" in the nine departments serving the Council's...
EDITOR'S NOTE: The second "rallying point" gathering is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. July 16, weather permitting at Howell Family Park on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The Lake Wales Police Department kicked off its new "rallying point" program Thursday, July 9 – setting up a canopy tent and chairs by the lake and inviting people to stop by for a chat. "We've got no agenda We want to talk about what the community wants to talk about," said Deputy Police Chief Troy Schulze. "...
NOTE: The city has canceled this event due to concerns about the COVID-19 virus. The City of Lake Wales Recreation Department will host Lake Wales Live starting at 6 p.m. Friday, March 20. The first entertainment will be provided by Cory Greenway. The Autumn Brown Band will begin performing at 8 p.m. The free event is held in the park in front of the Lake Wales Public Library at 290 Cypress Gardens Lane. Food will be available for purchase from food trucks. Rotary on the...
The City of Lake Wales Recreation Department will host Lake Wales Live starting at 6 p.m. Friday, Jan. 17. The entertainment will be Back Porch Revival Folk Music. The free event is held in the park in front of the Lake Wales Public Library at 290 Cypress Gardens Lane. Food will be available for purchase from food trucks. Rotary on the Ridge will offer beer and wine for donations to support community service projects. For more information, contact Recreation Coordinator...
The City of Lake Wales Recreation Department will host Lake Wales Live starting at 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 20. The Jonathan Kaufman Trio will perform a night of jazzy holiday favorites. The free event is held in the park in front of the Lake Wales Public Library at 290 Cypress Gardens Lane. Food will be available for purchase from food trucks. Rotary on the Ridge will offer beer and wine for donations to support community service projects. For more information, contact Recreation...
The City of Lake Wales Recreation Department has scheduled its next Lake Wales Live event starting at 6 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 15. The October event was canceled due to bad weather. The free event will include music by Jonathan Kaufman and Chase Dixon at 6 p.m. and Southerndipity at 7:30 p.m. Food trucks will be on hand and Rotary on the Ridge will be pouring wine and beer for donations to support the club's service projects. Times are subject to change and the event is...
Florida Polytechnic University will soon have a new simulation facility on campus dedicated to the testing and verification of autonomous vehicle technology in real-time. The National Science Foundation awarded the University a $350,000 grant that enables the development of a large-scale Hardware-in-the-Loop (HiL) simulation facility for connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs). HiL is a type of real-time simulation that serves as a gateway for the development and testing of...
When Harry Met Henry... Well, not exactly. Because if in 1978 Harry J. Shay had actually met THE Henry Ford things may have turned out differently for Harry and his Model A & Model T Motor Car Reproduction Corp. (later changed to Shay Motors Corp.), and his better idea of teaming up with Ford to purchase Pinto powertrain and chassis, and more importantly, the use of thousands of dealerships to sell his anniversary Model A roadsters. In the early 70s he began building a prototy...
The City of Lake Wales Recreation Department will host the first Lake Wales Live event of the season Friday, Oct. 18. The free event features live music in the park in front of the Lake Wales Public Library. Musicians featured this month include the Kolt 45 Band at 6 p.m. and then the Johnathan Kaufman and Chase Dixon Blues Duo starting at 8 p.m. The event is weather permitting and times are subject to change. Food trucks will be on hand. Members of the Rotary on the Ridge...
A family tradition at the SUN 'n FUN Expo Campus, WINGS 'n THINGS has been reimagined. With exciting hands-on activities that introduce tomorrow's technologies, children of all ages will be given a free introduction to the wonders of Aerospace from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5 at the SUN 'n FUN Expo Campus, 4175 Medulla Road in Lakeland. Offered through the Aerospace Center for Excellence (ACE), this year's event is being co-hosted with the Women in Aviation Lakeland...
The new Love's Travel Stop and Country Store opened in Lake Wales Thursday, Aug. 29 to brisk business, some driven by customers wanting to fill up on gasoline and other supplies in preparation for the potential arrival of Hurricane Dorian. "We are continuing to monitor Hurricane Dorian's path as it nears landfall," said Love's Media Relations Specialist Caitlin Campbell. "We're taking safety precautions as well as increasing fuel and food deliveries to stay stocked as people...
In preparation for Hurricane Dorian, Lake Wales Mayor Gene Fultz declared a state of emergency for the city starting at noon Thursday, Aug. 29 and lasting up to seven days. This declaration followed a similar one by Gov. Ron DeSantis covering the entire state of Florida. The order gives City Manager Ken Fields authority to enact emergency management procedures for the city. The city's Emergency Operations Center is expected to open in the main fire department around noon on...
The Lake Wales Public Library's Lifelong Learning series continues in September, with a UF/IFAS Extension presentation, Cool Weather Vegetable Gardening. This program, presented by Polk County Master Gardeners, will focus on vegetables that thrive as the heat subsides. It begins at 12 noon, Thursday, September 12. A light lunch will be provided, registration is required. The class size is limited to 20 students. Call 863-678-4004, ext. 221 to register. The LWPL's Lifelong...
Jonathan White says his baseball career was cut short because he put his career in the hands of others his entire life. He accepted that coaches told him he wasn't a starting player because he wasn't good enough. He was a standout player in local leagues, regularly featured in the Sports section of the local newspaper. At age 10, he was invited to play in Cooperstown, NY with the best baseball players in the world. Despite two years sitting the bench in high school his senior...
When you have a middle school science classroom full of about 30 incoming sixth graders, most people would not expect much productivity. However, I recently saw these soon-to-be Edward W. Bok Academy students fully immerse themselves in the project brought to them by Keith Young, a scientist from Illinois. Mr. Young works with an organization called EcoTek, which is focused on bringing real-world issues to students interested in science. He taught the students not only about...
Concerned that too many patients got their wounds healed but ended up coming back for more treatments, the Lake Wales Wound Care Center has added another therapy to its list of options. Dr. Fred Howard on Tuesday, July 2 did the center's first treatment that used a laser to burn off vessels in leg veins. The treatment is designed to get blood flowing properly to reduce swelling that can cause wounds to fester and create painful sores. "They come, they get wound care, they get...
Vincent DePaul Connors of Lake Wales passed away Sunday, June 30, 2019 at Lake Wales Medical Center after a long battle with pneumonia. He was 64. Born in Evanston, Illinois, Vince came to Lake Wales as the infant son of Mary L. and Paul T. Connors. He attended St. Williams' Academy as well as local public schools and graduated from Lake Wales High School in 1973. He enjoyed sports, wildlife, weather, and nature in general. Generous "to a fault," he often gave away favorite...
The 2019 Atlantic hurricane season kicks off Saturday, June 1, so the state of Florida is encouraging residents to stock up on supplies during a special sales tax-free period May 31 through June 6. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting a "near normal" hurricane season with a total of nine to 15 named storms. NOAA predicts four to eight could become hurricanes and two to four could become major hurricanes. Storms are named when their winds reach 39...
NOTE: This event has been canceled due to expected bad weather. Lake Wales Live will resume the third Friday of each month starting in September. The City of Lake Wales Recreation Department presents music in the park at its third Lake Wales Live! On Friday, April 19. The free event takes place in the park across from the library at 290 Cypress Gardens Lane. The M&M Cloggers will perform at 6 p.m. followed by a musical presentation at 7:30 p.m. by Southerndipity. The event is...
Warm spring weather means it's time to brush up on tips for living with alligators The American alligator, Florida's state reptile, is an important part of Florida's wetland habitats. This large reptile is found throughout the state in fresh water lakes, ponds, swamps and slow-moving rivers. During spring, alligators become more active and visible. When temperatures rise, their metabolism increases and they begin seeking prey. Although alligator bite incidents resulting in...
