Kairos Nutrition Opens Winter Haven Store with Ribbon Cutting
by James Coulter
It may be more than a month into the new year, but it is never too late to start your New Year’s resolution and start your journey to a healthier you. If you’re looking to eat healthier, then consider dropping by for a healthy bite to eat at Kairos Nutrition.
Why settle for greasy fast food for lunch and dinner that leaves you feeling sluggish and slow through the workday? Instead, try a healthful drink or snack from Kairos. They have a full menu of smoothies, teas, waffles, and even donuts packed with protein, vitamins, and other nutrients to help give you a pep in your step, lose weight, and feel overall healthier.
Victor Marrero and his wife, Ashley, started Kairos Nutrition two years ago in Lake Wales. They wanted to start their own business and give back to their community. They decided the best way to do so was to provide their community with healthier food and drink options outside of the typical fast-food joint or coffee shop.
“We had the vision to create a community [and] to bring it to Winter Haven,” Ashley said. “We did not know what we would go into, but we knew this was where we wanted to be. And we have been able to impact so many people’s diets. We are so grateful for community support these two years, and we cannot wait to continue spreading good nutrition and community in Winter Haven.”
Her husband, Victor, was not only proud that they were able to open two locations in Lake Wales, but also to expand their operations to Downtown Winter Haven. They had dreamed of opening a shop downtown, and now they have more than high expectations for their newest location.
“It has been in the works,” he said. “I wanted to be downtown. We were trying for a while, and it finally happened, and it all fell into place. [We are] super thankful and grateful that the Lord gave us this opportunity to continue spreading our business and just healthy nutrition in this amazing community.”
Kairos Nutrition opened its new store in Winter Haven with a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by the Winter Haven Chamber of Commerce. City and chamber officials gathered to cut the ribbon to the new store and commend the new store owners and chamber members on opening their new business.
Pro Tem Mayor Nathanial Birdsong was super excited to have a healthy eatery open up just a short walk away from City Hall. He especially appreciated being able to pick up an energy drink on his way back.
“I am excited this is walking distance from City Hall,” he said. “I will take my energy drink with me. We wish you a lot of success. I know you will be [successful].”
Anita Strang, the President/CEO of Winter Haven Main Street, commended Kairos Nutrition for opening their new store in the downtown district. As her organization wants to help beautify and develop the downtown area, any new business that decides to move in is a welcome addition to their neighborhood.
“The area you are located in is what we are excited about helping expand,” she said. “We want to help you give the visibility that would like to have downtown. And become part of our family and gathering. Thank you for choosing to put your business in Downtown Winter Haven.”
Kairos Nutrition is located at 315 3rd St. NW, Winter Haven, FL 33880. For more information, call 863-608-4173, or visit their Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/kairos.nutrition24
Do you know where Tykell Dennis is? Winter Haven Police and Tykell’s family are asking for anyone who knows of Tykell’s whereabouts to call. She was last seen at her grandmother’s residence on MLK Blvd. She could possibly be in the area of Crowford St. in Lakeland. Anyone who has information of her whereabouts is asked to contact Detective Maldonado at 863-837-0946.
Winter Haven Police Asking For Public’s Help In Locating Missing Teenager
Have you seen 16 year-old Makayla Seay? Makayla was last seen at her 5th St SE residence after having a verbal altercation with a family member. She possibly left with someone in a gold or tan Chevy sedan, possibly an Impala. Anyone with information on Makayla’s whereabouts is asked to call Detective Lozado at 863-662-0166.
Tyler doesn’t have an easy life living in a family of success stories. His mother is a doctor. His father is a lawyer. His older brother went to college on an athletic scholarship. And his younger brother always makes the honor roll. Yet the only success Tyler ever had was with video games.
With the start of a new school year, Tyler hopes to turn his luck around. He aspires to make the team and make the grade. He even made friends with the new girl in town, Amber. Will she be able to help him achieve the same success as the rest of his family? He’ll need to overcome temptations from some real losers at school to do so.
Chapter 1: The Call of Adventure
His footsteps, echoing against the stone floor and walls, broke the silence of a thousand years. The brave hero strode through the foyer of the ancient shrine, which sat atop the precipice of a snowcapped peak. He had ridden his horse along the mountainside trail, and when the path became too steep to safely tread on horseback, he climbed the remainder of the way on foot.
His fairy companion hovered near his shoulder. Her glowing, pale blue aura illuminated his path as he ventured into the darkness of the ruins. A moonbeam streaming through the crevices lit a dais on the far end of the room. In its silver light glistened the blade of a sword protruding from an altar. His blue eyes widened, fixing on the illustrious weapon. At last, his search was over.
Like the highest note of a flute, his fairy friend chirped, “Look, there it is! The Sword of Heroes!”
The hero followed the sparkling sprite to the sword in the stone. He wiped the sweat from his blonde brow and studied the artifact. He grabbed the hilt with his leather-gloved hand; yet despite exerting every ounce of his strength, it would not budge.
“Hey! Listen!” The fairy exclaimed in protest. “Have you forgotten? The three gems we retrieved from the other three shrines? It is as the Goddess foretold: you must present them before you can retrieve the Sword of Heroes.”
The hero reached into his satchel and withdrew three gems. He inserted each of them into the slots carved on the stone altar. The first, the Ruby of Valor, crimsoned red. The second, the Sapphire of Love, illuminated blue. And the third, the Emerald of Truth, glowed green.
With the last glowing stone set, the sword shone with a white-hot light. The hero averted his gaze, reached for the hilt, and drew it as easily as a knife drawn from felled quarry.
He held his newly acquired weapon aloft, carefully studying the blade. His fairy companion hovered near his face with similar awe. Suddenly, the floor beneath his feet trembled, and a loud metallic screech shrieked behind him.
A titanic gold effigy sat atop a stone plinth. Its metal joints and limbs roared as its round body sat up from its slouched position and its head lifted from its shoulders. Its eyes, etched upon its metal visage, fixed themselves on the hero.
“Well done, brave hero,” its voice reverberated from the unmoving slot of a mouth. “You have procured the Sacred Gems of Virtue and used their power to retrieve the Sword of Heroes.”
The statue stood and lifted its six arms; each hand held the curved blade of a scimitar.
“Now you must prove yourself worthy of wielding that legendary blade. Defeat me in combat, and you will have proven your prowess.”
The golden giant raised a sword and flung it downward. The warrior leapt away as the attack struck the ground. Landing on his feet, he aimed the Sword of Heroes at his giant foe. The gilded adversary heaved its six scimitars above its head. Without showing any fear or hesitation, the hero launched himself forward.
Before he could land a blow, the hero froze in place. He remained suspended motionless in the air, his feet nearly a yard off the ground, his blade mere inches from the giant’s head. His metal foe likewise remained frozen, as did his fairy companion far behind him. His surrounding environment faded to black, and in blue glowing letters, appeared the words, “Pause.”
*****
“I’d advise you to focus less on your video game and more on your breakfast. Your cereal is getting soggy.”
The young voice broke Tyler’s concentration. The teenager dropped his handheld game and scowled at his younger brother, sitting opposite him at the kitchen table. He rolled his eyes and slipped the game into his jean jacket pocket. Wiping the messy brown hair from his green eyes, he shoveled the milk-drenched cereal into his mouth.
“So, what about you, Paul?” Tyler asked with his mouth full. “Shouldn’t you be eating breakfast rather than working on your model?”
Paul remained fixated on his replica of the International Space Station. The young boy with a blonde, bowl-cut attended to the model with tweezers and paintbrush.
“That’s why I scheduled my morning routine to eat breakfast first before working on my project,” Paul replied, applying the final touches.
Tyler studied the model from his seat. “I still find it hard to believe you built that thing, let alone won first place at science camp.”
“Indubitably,” the young boy said, dipping the tip of his brush into the acrylic paint before raising it to the model ever so carefully. “It is imperative this model is in pristine condition when I present it to my teacher today. I told her about it during orientation, and she assured me she would award me extra credit if I showed it to her.”
“Like you need extra credit.” Tyler shook his head with a chuckle. “You already get straight As in every subject, and you’ve earned honor roll every year since you started elementary. I’m surprised you’re in fourth grade this year. I’d figure you’d skip a few grades.”
“I’m sure you’d be able to attain similar academic achievement if you focused more on your studies and less on your video games,” his younger brother replied.
“Yes, Mom!” Tyler rolled his eyes with a sarcastic tone. “Speaking of which, it’s awfully quiet around here since she and Dad left early. They were long gone when I woke up.”
“Mother has double duty at the hospital this week, and father has very important cases to attend to,” Paul replied. “Not to mention he’ll be attending a lawyer’s conference later this month. He’s going to be presented a very prestigious award for his career.”
“Guess the two of us will have the house to ourselves,” Tyler said before spooning more cereal into his mouth. “Not for nothing, I like being home alone, but I just wished they didn’t need to work so much.”
“Technically, they don’t need to,” Paul replied. “They choose to work extra hours because—”
“Yeah, yeah!” Tyler sighed. “I heard it all before. They choose to work hard so we can all have a better life. That’s why we can afford to live in a nice house in a good neighborhood. It’s how they can afford to send you to summer camp. And it’s why Rick can afford to go to a fancy big-name college.”
A weeks-old photo hung on the refrigerator. It featured him, his parents, and his two brothers. The oldest posed center frame wearing his basketball jersey. They all stood in front of the main building of a prestigious university.
“Not that he needs the money.” Tyler resumed eating his breakfast. “He’s getting a free ride there with his scholarship.” He pointed to Paul with his spoon. “I’m sure you’re going to get a free ride, too, with all of your good grades. Heck, you’re probably going to go to college before me with how much of a little Einstein you are.”
“I’m certain you can earn a scholarship as well.” Paul set his brush in a glass of water before twisting the lid onto his paint jar.
Tyler chortled. “Not with my report cards, I’m not.”
“Don’t belittle yourself like that.” Paul sorted his paints into their container. “At least your average rose from a C+ to B- last year.”
Tyler shook his head. “A B- isn’t going to earn me a scholarship.”
“Well, there’s still athletic scholarships.” Paul carried his glass to the sink to empty the paint water. “You just need to make a team this year.”
Tyler slammed his spoon into his empty bowl before carrying it to the sink. “Yeah, just like I did last year. And the year before that. And every other year prior.”
Paul turned the water on to rinse their dishes. “Try not to be so pessimistic. Performance is just as much about perception as it is perseverance.”
Tyler raised an eyebrow. “Why do you always have to sound like you’re twenty years older than you actually are, huh, Charles Wallace?”
“What can I say?” Paul shrugged. “I’ve taken initiative to expand my vocabulary. I consider the endeavor quite adventitious.”
Tyler kept his eyebrow raised with a sly smirk. “Initiative? Endeavor? Adventitious? Man, you’ve really been using that word-a-day calendar Grandma gave you for Christmas, huh?”
A horn blaring from outside interrupted him. Tyler sprinted out the kitchen as fast as his sneakers could carry him and snatched his backpack before bolting out the door to his awaiting bus, leaving his brother to wait for his bus when it arrived later that morning.
###
“Tyler’s Journey” is a side-story to the fantasy novel, “The Light Prince Grail.” The story follows Tyler’s life before he and Amber ventured into the fantastical world of Arden. It details his many personal struggles and how they influenced his decisions in the novel. His story will help readers learn more about themselves as they do about him.
“The Light Prince: Grail” and “Tyler’s Journey” are available in paperback and e-book on Amazon. For more information, visit the author’s website at: jcalexandre.com
Over the weekend February. 4, 2023, The City of Davenport held its annual Taste of Davenport event located at the Tom Fellows Community Center. The venue was packed from wall to wall. There were over 250 tickets sold, tickets included unlimited food samples and drinks.
One local resident said “people are grubbing” while standing in line for some of the delicious food at the Tijuana flats table. There were over two dozen of vendors from Davenport and neighboring cities who participated in this event.
There were a variety of food and tasty treats. This was a few of the vendors first time attending the Taste of Davenport. Such as Chef Roberts G of New World Chefs Realm LLC. mentioned he will return next year for sure and that was he excited to be a part of an amazing event.
The taste of Davenport was the perfect mix of good music, an array of different food samples and tasty treats. There was even music from live saxophonist and violinist. “This is an event you do not want to miss next year the food here is phenomenal,” said another local resident. Davenport’s next event will be the highwaymen March 3-4 this will also be taken place at the Tom fellows community center, 207 North Blvd. Davenport, FL for more information visit www.mydavenport.org or call 863-588-1130.
We thank Beyonca West Augustin, Marketing & Communications, with the City of Davenport for information and photos
On Tuesday, January 8, 2023, at approximately 6:09 a.m., a silver F-150 truck was traveling northbound on South Florida Avenue approaching the intersection of Belmar Street. At the same time, a marked Lakeland Police Department SUV was traveling southbound on South Florida Avenue, and behind it, a Mitsubishi SUV. According to a witness, the Ford truck began to pass another vehicle at a high rate of speed, entering the center lane against the solid yellow, no-passing lane. At some point, the truck collided with the police SUV and then also with the Mitsubishi. After the collision, the F-150 continued traveling north a short distance before exiting the roadway and colliding with the building identified as the Waller Center.
The Lakeland Police Department Patrol Unit, Polk County Fire Rescue, and the Lakeland Fire Department arrived on the scene to begin life-saving measures. The driver of the F-150 was declared deceased at the scene by medical personnel. The officer and driver of the Mitsubishi were transported to the hospital for minor injuries.
Members of the Traffic Homicide Unit responded to the scene and took over the investigation. The roadway was shut down for approximately five hours while the scene was processed for the ongoing investigation.
This remains an open investigation. If anyone has any additional information regarding the crash, please contact investigating Officer Camilo Almeida at [email protected].
The Ford F-150 operator (deceased) was identified as:
Watch Out For Phishing Emails Appearing To Be From The City of Winter Haven The Winter Haven Police Department was made aware of a phishing email that is landing in business and citizen inboxes claiming to be from someone at the City of Winter Haven. If you will look at the image below, you will see the things that will tell you immediately that you should be suspicious. First, the misspelling of “My Nane is”. The most important thing to note is the email address is @cityofwinterhaven.com. Any City of Winter Haven emails come from @mywinterhaven.com. A subtle difference that could be overlooked easily. We want to remind everyone that, unless you personally know the sender of an email, always be wary of unsolicited emails and delete when they look odd. And of course, never EVER click on links or provide any personal or financial information. When in doubt, give the organization a call to check or you can call our Crime Prevention Unit at 863-291-6178 to assist.
Detectives from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office executed search warrants Monday of the vehicle driven by suspect 21-year-old Alex Greene (DOB 8/16/01) just prior to the crash that ended the pursuit.
During the search of the Chevrolet Silverado that Greene initially used to flee from agents from the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF), Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), and Lakeland Police Department, the following were recovered: 28 grams of Cocaine, 4,178.9 grams of marijuana, a Glock .357 handgun, a Glock .45 handgun, and $2,813.00 in US currency. Greene was also in possession of $5,833 cash found on his person.
The Toyota Camry that Greene carjacked from an elderly victim at Andrea’s Family Restaurant was also searchednothing appeared to have been left in the vehicle by Greene.
Prior to Greene’s death, he had an outstanding PCSO warrant for: Residential Burglary (F3), Conspiracy to Commit Burglary (F3), and Trespassing with Larceny (M1), following a January 2023 investigation in Lake Alfred. Greene’s criminal history spans back to 2013 when he was a pre-teen. Arrests of Greene since that time include: Battery (Nov. 2013); Battery (Jan. 2014); Marijuana Distribution and Marijuana Possession (January 2015); Fighting and Disorderly Conduct (March 2015); Hit & Run and Resisting (March 2016); Possession of Marijuana and Drug Paraphernalia (April 2016); Robbery, Larceny, Battery, Criminal Mischief, and Disorderly Conduct (May 2016); Battery (Dec. 2016); Weapon Possession (Jan. 2017); Possession of Marijuana and Drug Paraphernalia (July 2018), Assault and Fleeing to Elude (August 2022); and numerous Violations of Probation and Failures to Appear in Court.
Greene was under investigation by the Lakeland Police Department for his involvement in the mass shooting on January 30th, 2023 that occurred in the city of Lakeland. Greene was under surveillance by Special Agents from Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), special agents from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and members of the Lakeland Police Department when he exited a residence in Eagle Lake and entered the white Chevrolet Silverado. An FDLE agent and ATF agents, activating their emergency equipment on their undercover vehicles, attempted to stop Greene as he left the residence. Greene did not stop. Greene fled the area, followed by Captain Eric Harper of the Lakeland Police Department. Greene refused to stop and Captain Harper initiated a pursuit of GreeneFDLE and ATF did not engage in a pursuit. Captain Harper successfully executed a pit maneuver on the suspect just east of Andreas Family Restaurant located at 1498 Havendale Boulevard.
Greene fled on foot. While fleeing, Greene carjacked an elderly female’s vehicle and attempted to carjack the vehicle. Captain Harper placed himself to the left of the driver’s side area of the vehicle and drew his agency issued firearm yelling commands to the suspect to “stop” and “show me your hands.” Captain Harper was also loudly identifying himself as a police officer. The suspect refused to comply with the verbal commands.
Greene then placed the silver Toyota Camry in drive, and drove vehicle towards Captain Harper, quickly accelerating (attempting to run over Captain Harper). Captain Harper discharged his firearm six times into the driver’s side area of the vehicle. While engaging the threat, Captain Harper was able to successfully move himself out of the path of the oncoming vehicle. The vehicle being operated by the suspect then struck a parked vehicle in the Andrea’s parking lot narrowly missing Captain Harper. Greene continued to flee west bound onto Havendale Boulevard before finally crashing into an unoccupied business at 1598 Havendale Blvd.
In addition to his outstanding warrant, Greene would have been charged with multiple felonies, including fleeing to elude, attempted murder of a LEO, Possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, robbery and carjacking, resisting arrest, and possession of drugs with intent to sell.
The investigation is ongoing by the 10th Judicial Circuit Officer-Involved Deadly Incident Task Force.
City of Winter Haven – We are looking to fill an opening on our Cultural Arts Advisory Committee. The person selected will serve a term that expires on September 30, 2024. For more detailed information on this Committee, please get in touch with Natalie Wilson, Special Events Coordinator, at (863) 291-5656 or [email protected].
Lakeland Fire Department (LFD) responded to a fire at Texas Cattle Company early Tuesday, Feb 7, at approximately 1:00 AM. LFD fire crews arrived at the single-story commercial structure with heavy flames and smoke from the south side of the building.
Responding crews encountered several challenges, including propane tank storage and a compromised gas line due to high temperatures and fire. The scene was brought under control around 3:30 AM.
This incident is an active investigation by Lakeland Fire Department’s Prevention Division; the cause of the fire has not yet been determined. Responding to the scene included 8 LFD units, several LPD units, and Polk County Fire Rescue (PCFR). No firefighter injuries were reported.
From the restaurant on their social media page
Dear Loyal Guests,
We are sad to announce that Texas Cattle Company in Lakeland is temporarily closed due to a fire in the building that has since been contained.
Thankfully, the fire occurred after hours so no one was injured. We are grateful for the brave first responders who acted right away to help save our beloved restaurant that has served the Lakeland community for 50 years.
Please visit our website at www.TexasCattleCompany.net for updates.
Thank you for your support during this time. We look forward to reopening and serving you again soon!
