More Than 300 People Given Free Sanitation Products from Lake Wales Funeral Home
by James Coulter
Freedom Tour Food Bank and Caver Funeral Home are giving away free sanitation and cleaning products. More than 300 people waited in line since the break of dawn on Wednesday morning to receive free hand sanitizer, bleach, and other cleaning products from Caver Funeral Home.
For the past seven months, the Lake Wales funeral home has been offering free products to residents in need to help curtail disease during the ongoing pandemic. Linda Thompson, the funeral home director, has been overseeing these monthly giveaways and partnering with Freedom Tour Food Bank in Lake Wales to obtain donated items for distribution.
This is the seventh month the funeral home has hosted the community sanitation giveaway event. She said the event is held each month on different dates. They take enough of the supplies to the funeral home for the crowd of 300 to 400 people.
As a funeral home director, Thompson has seen her fair share of death, especially during the pandemic. Wanting to help curtail the number of COVID-related deaths, she reached out to Pastor Bobby Williams of Freedom Tour Church to have his church donate sanitation products for her to distribute.
Over the past seven months, his church has provided her with eight palates a month at least once a month, he said. She sends two trucks to their facility once a month, his volunteers load it up, and then some of them go there to help unload and distribute donations, he said.
As the country transitions from a time of pandemic to a time of recession and war, with plenty of anxieties looming over the heads of the public, Pastor Williams and his church, with the help of local volunteers like Thompson, are here to help people in their time of need, he said.
“Linda Thompson is a good friend and awesome volunteer,” Pastor Williams said. “She is a good-hearted woman who wants to help out and give back. She is doing a great job, [she is] a great partner, [and she has] great people who want to help out with the community and be a blessing to the community. And we see that in Linda, we see that with her. We see a good heart and good loving woman who wants to help give back.”
As for Thompson, she appreciates being able to assist people during these trying times. She has seen people arrive from as far as Frostproof and Babson Park to receive sanitation products through her free giveaways, and she hopes to continue giving to even more people.
“They come expecting a blessing and they know it can last them until the next month,” she said. “When I see people come up in wheelchairs, crutches, and bicycles, that it touches my heart and I have a ministry which is to help people. I enjoy helping people.”
The Freedom Tour is a disaster relief ministry founded by PastorWilliams. Outside of partnering with Caver Funeral Home to help people amid COVID-19 surge, Freedom Tour also partners with One More Child. Freedom Tour does two to 10 food drives across Polk County cities each week, feeding 3,000 to 5,000, Williams said.
Welcome, World Travelers! Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is Mad Fun (Spoiler-Free Review)
by James Coulter
No doubt, the multiverse has become a driving factor in Marvel Phase Four. While previous phases brought together various characters in the same shared cinematic universe, Phase Four involves an entire cinematic multiverse of characters from alternate realities, timelines, and even franchises outside of the MCU canon—as was the case with Spider-Man: No Way Home. The concept has opened limitless possibilities within a now seemingly limitless franchise. Now that the multiverse has become front and center in the titular Multiverse of Madness, will the new Doctor Strange movie open a multiverse of endless possibilities, or will it inevitably end in madness?
In his latest movie, the titular Doctor Strange stumbles across America Chavez, a young wayward girl with dimension-hopping powers. She’s being pursued by the movie’s villian, who wants to hunt her down and steal her powers to pursue their own nefarious purposes. Strange is now tasked with protecting the young girl and traveling through the multiverse to escape and defeat the main antagonist. Will Strange be able to do so? And at what ultimate cost?
As with the original Doctor Strange, this movie is a visually-stunning masterpiece that expertly showcases the titular character’s reality-bending powers, which are only enhanced by Chavez’s dimension-hopping powers. The visual effects have evidently improved since the Doctor’s first theatrical outing, bending reality in unique and spectacular ways that all offer a truly unique spectacle. The initial dimension-hopping scene is perhaps the best example, as the main characters not only travel through dimensions, but also transform to match their surroundings, even altering their own states of matter.
Sam Raimi directed this film and it shows. While he is most famous with Marvel movies for directing the original Spider-Man trilogy, his role as director for this movie feels more like him directing his famous Evil Dead movies. This filmshowcases his most signature special effects, what with the many snap zooms, spinning cameras, wild angles, jump scares, and even blood and gore. Yes, Multiverse of Madness lives up to its reputation as the MCU’s first “horror” movie with plenty of creepy imagery and disturbing, borderline gory effects that pushes its PG-13 rating to its limits. No spoilers, but the final battle certainly feels like a scene ripped straight from Evil Deadand given an extra CGI boost!
Front and center in the film is the eponymous Doctor himself, whose character undergoes some much-needed reflection. In his many theatrical ventures, Doctor Strange has proven utilitarian almost to a fault, with a very “ends justify the means” morality, even at the cost of nearly destroying reality itself. After all, while his decision to give Thanos the Time Stone in Avengers: Infinity War may have ultimatley led to an outcome that inevitably defeated the Mad Titan in Avengers: Endgame, his decision still left half the population turned to dust for five long years during the time in-between. In this film, the villian confronts him with a similar “ends justify the means” philosophy, but whose ends are less than noble, which inevitably forces the Doctor to reconsider his outlook.
Speaking of which, if there is a downside to this movie, it’s with how it portrays one of its other characters. No spoilers, but the other character appearing in this movie has appeared in previous Marvel installments, and they end up doing things in this movie that may be interpreted by some fans as “out-of-character”—even grossly so. While their motivations are portrayed as sympathetic, their decisions still lead to actions that arguablycross serious lines, both morally and as a character. Again, no spoilers, but this character and their portrayal will no doubt prove quite divisive and spur much discourse.
Another slight negative is that, despite this movie being advertised as a massive dimension-hopping adventure, travels to alternate dimensions are kept at a bare minimum. If you’re going into this movie expecting a grand romp through the multiverse with visit to countless alternate realities and meet-ups with alternate versions of Marvel characters, including those from films outside of the MCU canon, well, be prepared to cull your expectations lest you become too disappointed. No spoilers, but rest assured, there are still plenty of satisfying and surprising cameos.
Overall, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is a true visual spectacle with the usual high-octane action and a surprisingly dark twist that opens up a realm of possibilities for future Marvel movies, and while it’s not quite the massive multiverse adventure as advertised, and though it may arguably do one character dirty, it is the typical clean fun that Marvel has excelled at.
Welcome, World Travelers! What is the Reedy Creek Improvement District?
by James Coulter
On April 22, 2022, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill to repeal the Reedy Creek Improvement District, the special district for Walt Disney World that allows the resort to tax and govern itself. The bill previously passed the Florida House and Senate, and is slated to take effect on June 1, 2023.
What is the Reedy Creek Improvement District? Why is it important to Walt Disney World? How was the district created in the first place? And what will its repeal mean for the state of Florida?
Reedy Creek: The History
When Walt Disney secretly purchased 27,400 acres of land in Florida in the mid-1960s, his intention was not to build another Disneyland. Instead, he had a bold vision to create an “Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow” (EPCOT). His planned model “city of the future” would showcase innovative technology, transportation, and urban planning techniques that could potentially be utilized by other cities and communities. The city’s many innovations included a radial city design with major sections connected via monorail and smaller neighborhoods connected via the peoplemover transit system.
However, Disney feared his vision could be potentially hampered by the bureaucratic red tape of Florida’s government. As Wikipedia explained: “When initially planning the resort back in the 1960s, Walt Disney felt that it would be easier to carry out his proposals with more flexibility and independence with his own specialized, personalized government.” So Disney approached Florida lawmakers with a proposal to create a self-governing district for his bold new venture, with the promise that it would also include a Disneyland-style theme park.
Walt Disney passed away on Dec. 15, 1966, but his proposal for a self-governing district came to fruition. On May 12, 1967, The Reedy Creek Improvement Act was signed into law. The bill established the Reedy Creek District, which serves as the self-governing authority of Walt Disney World, givign it the same authority and responsibilities as a county government.
Wikipedia further elaborates: “The law created a special taxing district, known as the Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID) which would have “same authority and responsibility” as a county government, including providing “essential” public services, such as firefighters and police. The RCID can also impose taxes and run government services from that revenue. The law also created two cities, the municipalities of Lake Buena Vista and Bay Lake which are currently within the boundary of Walt Disney World.”
Sadly, Walt Disney’s city of the future was never built. Following his death, his company focused primarily on building the theme park instead. However, many of the city’s proposed innovations like the monorail and peoplemover were implemented within the resort area, and his “Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow” served as the inspiration for the EPCOT Center theme park.
The Reedy Creek Improvement District currently provides the resort with self-governing authority. It allows Disney World to raise its own taxes and and manage its own essential services, including roads and other infrastructure, waste and water management, fire department, security, and zoning and construction. As a result, the theme park has become one of Florida’s largest employers and taxpayers, raising millions in tax revenue and providing thousands of jobs.
Reedy Creek: The Future
Following Disney’s denouncement of Florida’s Parental Rights in Education bill (commonly referred to as the Don’t Say Gay bill) and its announcement to pause political donations to Florida lawmakers, Gov. DeSantis fired back at the company by threatening (and later, succeeding) to revoke its “special corporate privileges” including the Reedy Creek Improvement Act. He argued the Act provided Disney an “unfair advantage”over its competitors, and thus repealing it would allegedly level the playing field.
However, while Gov. DeSantis signed the bill repealing the Reedy Creek Improvement Act, the law will not go into full effect until next year. Furthermore, not only will the repeal require additional steps to officially implement, but its effects could do more harm than good for Florida taxpayers.
For the Florida State Legislature to dissolve a special district like Reedy Creek, the majority of its residents would have to vote in favor of dissolving the district, as WDW News Today reported. For the Reedy Creek District, that majority vote would involve the residents of Lake Buena Vista and Bay Lake.
If the Reedy Creek District were to be officially dissolved, the tax burden for local services would be shifted to the taxpayers of Orange and Osceola County. That tax burden amounts to at least $105 million in general revenue and $280 million in property taxes, CNBC reported.
Furthermore, aside from a $100 million tax burden, taxpayers could also be forced to foot the bill of a nearly $1 billion bond debt. As CNBC reports: “Reedy Creek has bond liabilities of between $1 billion and $1.7 billion, according to the district’s financial filings. Under Florida statute, if Reedy Creek is dissolved, those liabilities are transferred to the local governments — either Bay Lake or Lake Buena Vista, or more likely, Orange and Osceola counties.”
What are your thoughts on Reedy Creek? Do you think it was wrong for Gov DeSantis to revoke it? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook.
On May 17, 2022, at approximately 2:03 PM, the Auburndale Police Department responded to a traffic crash with injuries at the intersection of Dairy Road and Gandy Road. A person on a skateboard was struck by a vehicle. At this time no names are being released as the investigation is ongoing and units are still on-scene.
If you have any information, regarding the crash please contact Sergeant Matthew Baker at (863) 965-5555.
Bartow Entrepreneur Took Winning Strategy with Taste One Boiled Peanut Co. and Won Big
by James Coulter
What’s better to munch on during the big game than a bag of boiled peanuts? Of course, the Taste One Boiled Peanut Company sells more than just regular old boiled peanuts. Their signature Smoked BBQ Boiled Peanuts were the best sellers at the last University of Miami football game. In fact, they sold out during the spring game at the University of Miami.
Lance Legett sells his famous boiled peanuts in more than 90 locations across Florida at convenience stores like 7-Eleven and Circle K. He recently launched his first location in South Florida, and he has even been invited to open a new location up north in New York. He currently has plans to start selling in Publix grocery stores.
While Lance considers himself successful, he does not owe that success to luck. There’s no such thing as luck, he insists. Instead, he owes everything to a winning strategic plan. Lance devised a winning strategy, and that strategy allowed him to win big, he said.
“I don’t have any challenges,” he said. “Once you have a game plan, you mark up all the challenges. That is why I was not coming out [to start my business] until I was fully prepared. I had to learn every angle of the business. I learned through trial and error. It is jumping out at a young age and learning, and now it is easy to.”
Born and raised in Bartow, Lance graduated from the University of Miami. There he played college football before going on to play with the Cleveland Browns for two years.
Growing up, his uncle owned a frozen slushy van called Slush Yo Mouth. Whenever his uncle came to visit, young Lance would rush up to his van and receive a free ice slushy. Lance often told his uncle that he would buy his van, build his company, and become the first franchisee.
“You have to imagine me telling my uncle since elementary through high school up to college when I finished playing football, I told my uncle I would go to NFL and buy him a lot of Slush Yo Mouth,” he said.
In 2011, he opened up a restaurant called Slush World located in Tampa. There he sold many items including slushies and boiled peanuts. As his website states, his boiled peanuts were a big hit and often sold out, so much so that he was inspired to close the shop after two years and focus on selling only boiled peanuts.
He opened up a warehouse with the intent of selling his famous smoked BBQ boiled peanuts. Unfortunately, as his website stated, “he ran into a wall”, and ended up running a truck company for several years before focusing on his warehouse.
Lance knew that if he were to sell his boiled peanuts, he would have to go big or go home. He needed a winning game plan, and so he spent several years planning his big move before moving forward with his boiled peanut business. Most importantly, he would need a production team to help him promote and advertise his nuts.
Aiding him with video promotions on social media was Donovan “Donnie” Miranda. Donnie was close friends with Lance’s nephew. Growing up, he would often meet with Lance and show him his work at his recording studio. Lance liked his work, so when the time came to hire a videographer and photographer to create promotions, Donnie was his top choice. By then, Donnie had more than ten years of experience, and he would use that experience to help Lance sell his nuts.
“The inspiration, really, is to get a lot of eyes on the product,” Donnie said. “We come from the same background, so we understand each other, we want the product to get noticed and as big as it can get, and that is the inspiration, to come from a small place and reach globally, trying to take it.”
Currently living in Atlanta, Donnie often visits Polk County. When he does, he always goes to the store and searches for the orange peanut package. Sure enough, he often sees it in the aisles—though, even better, he doesn’t see them in the aisles, as they are sold out.
“They are going crazy,” Donnie said. “We cannot keep them in the stores, it is certainly growing and growing fast…I owe my success coming from a struggling background to seeing families struggling with the surrounding area and not really knowingthere is more life than being stuck in the environment. That is where I feel I get my hunger to want to be successful.”
Another member of his production team of marketing experts is Vincente “Vince” Lara, a graphic designer. Vince met Lance two years ago. Lance wanted him to work on a logo. Their collaboration eventually evolved into rebranding his entire product. The result was a bold orange and black color scheme as eye-catching as the branding of a sports team—a sharp contrast to the typical Southern aesthetics of most boiled peanutsproducts.
“We were looking for a fresher approach to a product that is only known as a very country southern product,” Vince said. “So, with this company, it was about bringing a fresh approach to it. Obviously, the product itself will have a different flavor that not a lot of people had had when it comes to boiled peanuts. That was always our idea, we wanted to keep it very cool, and people from our community can relate to, and give them a cool approach, so we brought a bold approach to it and done our best to do a good image.”
Together with Donnie’s videography and Vince’s graphic design, Lance and his team developed a bold, eye-catching logo and identity. What resulted has been bags of boiled peanuts that sell hotter than the boiled peanuts themselves. With more than 90 locations and counting, Taste One Boiled Peanut made a touchdown in its first play.
While most entrepreneurs would owe such success to luck, Lance does not believe in luck. Rather, he owes his success to his years of planning and strategy. He hopes to continue winning big in Polk County, throughout the state of Florida, and across the country. And he expects to put in the hard work to continue doing so. Hard work, after all, brought him this far, and he hopes to go even further.
“It’s no secret: I have always been a hard worker,” he said. “Once you put the time in and come up with a plan, you don’t have a choice but do good.”
To learn more about Taste One Boiled Peanut Co., visit their website at: https://www.tasteoneboiledboiled peanuts.com
Lake Wales, Florida – The Lake Wales community has been in turmoil for half a year after some controversial handling of the Lake Wales Charter School Superintendent search and the rescinding of a resignation by current Lake Wales Charter School Principal Donna Dunson. A rescinding that was not accepted by interim superintendent Alricky Smith. Also in just the past couple of weeks the arrest of Lake Wales Charter School Board member Marcus Kirby has further brought a spotlight on the charter system.
Last April, the Lake Wales High School Advisory Council made it clear, in its last meeting of the year, that it wished Alricky Smith, Board Chairman Danny Gill & the rest of the Lake Wales Charter School Board would like to have Principal Donna Dunson retained. Those pleas fell on deaf ears. During last month’s meeting 8 out of 10 speakers came to the podium in support of LWHS Principal Donna Dunson. Those pleas also fell on deaf ears with no comment from Board Chairman Danny Gill and very little comments by board members. The response has been that the charter school administration and board, bereft of an actual Human Resources Coordinator, was following policy and procedures in not allowing Principal Dunson to return for one more year. Unfortunately no bylaws appeared to address the rescinding of resignation or the process in which to bring back Principal Dunson. The only bylaw that appears to have been broken was new superintendent to be, official start date July 1, has no authority to guarantee principal employment as that is the sole responsibility of the board. However, his recommendation is essential in that process. It had come to the attention of Daily Ridge that email correspondence had been sent by LWCS Board Chair Danny Gill to Dr. Rodolfich regarding the matter. That email correspondence prompted some LWHS School Advisory Council members to label chairman Gills email as bullying, threatening or at the very least overstepping his authority.
New email correspondence has come to light that further shows what transpired on April 8, 2022, the day Daily Ridge published its first article reference the above issues. As a matter of fact the following email was sent by board chairman Gill to Dr. Rodolfich merely 45 minutes after Daily Ridge ran this article.
Many including board members have said that all the facts are not available for people to make a proper assessment of the situation. “There’s is a lot of miss information out there” said board member Paul Gerrard. Who himself had advised he was not returning to his board seat, but changed his mind and is now staying.
In an effort to get facts out to the public here is email correspondence between chairman Gill and Dr. Rodolfich. We believe the emails speak clearly for themselves:
“On Fri, Apr 8, 2022 at 10:55 AM Gill, Danny <[email protected]> wrote:
Good Morning Dr. Rodolfich,
Following the public announcement made yesterday by you and Ms. Dunson, we had some conversations about proper protocol and the inability for you to be able to make public comments or personnel decisions until you take office July 1st. We discussed the proper ways to handle your request and this could have been averted with good communication between you, the current Superintendent and the Board. The decisions you made yesterday without conferring with the current superintendent and the Board has created a firestorm in our community. If you wanted to bring Ms. Dunson back, it could have been handled in a professional manner with open dialog. Superintendent Smith, myself and the Board are taking the heat from your decision and the blame has been put on the Board for an action that they were not involved with. I asked you yesterday to figure out a way to reel this back and hopefully in a way that was calming to the community. I am asking you to be the strong leader that we expect and hired to take ownership of this mishap and publicly announce your misunderstanding of the protocol, policies and procedures along with you not being in the position until July 1, 2022. I would expect you to absolve the Board , Superintendent Smith, and myself of any wrongdoing. I need this handled before the close of business today.
Respectfully,
Danny Gill
Chair, Board of Trustees
Lake Wales Charter Schools”
The following is Dr. Rodolfich’s response to chairman Gill:
“On Fri, Apr 8, 2022 at 3:21 PM Rodolfich, Wayne <[email protected]> wrote:
Good afternoon,
First I would like to say that my family and I drove from Gautier, MS to Lake Wales, FL on Wednesday, April 6. We left Gautier around 12 noon and arrived at our AirBnB about 12 midnight. I was very excited about the schedule that I had planned and which was sent to the Board on Friday, April 1. This marks the second trip within 2 weeks for my family and I to Lake Wales. Both trips have been made with the best of intentions to help facilitate a seamless transition, learn the physical structures of campuses, and evaluate campus needs. I do not want to hesitate to begin building relationships with principals, teachers, and community members. Both of these trips were made at my own expense without any desire or expectation to be compensated for my additional time and efforts. I am a worker.
On Thursday, April 7, I visited 5 schools and had an afternoon meeting with Ms. Collins.
On Friday, April 8, I visited the Charter Office to talk about strategic planning in order to better inform the Board of the needs of campuses. I then visited Hillcrest and Polk Ave. Elementary schools. I then attended a celebration of Lake Wales youth leaders at the Lake Wales Arts Center as a guest of Rob Quam. I was warmly greeted by the Chamber Director and was asked to speak in June at the Chamber’s Power Luncheon. The speaker at the most recent Power Luncheon was Sheriff Grady Judd.
I received a warm welcome on every campus, and I can’t tell you how many times people expressed their optimism and excitement about the future. I saw a lot of good things going on in our schools.
My children also visited Dale R. Fair Babson Park Elementary where Ms. Tyler was kind enough to give them a tour while we registered them for next school year, and they also took academic screeners on which they did very well.
I would like to draw your attention to the highlighted sections of the email that I sent on Friday, April 1.
I provided you with my itinerary for these past two days and also noted my intent to have Ms. Donna Dunson remain as the Lake Wales High School principal.
Additionally, on Friday, April 1, I spoke with 3 board members separately and individually on the phone: Mr. Danny Gill, Mr. Marcus Kirby, and Mr. Rusty Ingley. During those phone calls, I expressed my intent to keep Donna Dunson as the high school principal. Only one of those board members expressed any misgivings, but he ended our conversation with, “But that decision is up to you.”
I think these two attempts, both in writing to the entire Board and to the individual board members via phone, clearly communicated my intent without any ambiguity. I have no record of a response from any board member regarding my April 1 email.
I apologize that I misinterpreted the lack of response to that email as there being no issue with my decision to bring Ms. Dunson back. I was told after I was selected as Superintendent and signed my contract that I would be fully supported. With that being said, I apologize for making the announcement about Ms. Dunson returning as the high school principal. I also apologize that I did not formally contact Mr. Alricky Smith, Interim Superintendent with my decision to bring Ms. Dunson back.
In regards to miscommunication, you noted my “inability…to make public comments or personnel decisions until [I] take office July 1st.” I apologize for not understanding this fully because on my last visit to Lake Wales (when I and my family drove down during our Spring Break), I met with you, Mr. Alricky Smith, and Dr. Julio Acevedo at separate times and discussed the open Director of Human Resources position. I was given the resumes of all applicants for that position, and I then provided a list of recommendations for interviews to both Mr. Smith and Dr. Acevedo, and I asked them to create a committee to interview these applicants and make a decision to present to the Board at the April 26, 2022 Board meeting. I now have clarity based on your email today that personnel decisions are not in my purview until July 1.
Since I do not have the ability to make public comments until July 1 and want to ensure that I am following the policies as I now understand them, I would like to communicate clearly and seek approval for the following requested public statement as directed by the Board Chair:
“Dear Parents, Students, and Educators of the Lake Wales Charter School System,
I am communicating about my announcement yesterday at a Lake Wales High School faculty meeting of my intent to retain Donna Dunson as the LWHS principal. This meeting was part of my 7 school tour over the last 2 days to meet with principals and teachers. At the time of the announcement, I was not aware that Ms. Dunson had submitted her resignation earlier this school year nor that her resignation had been acted on and accepted by the Board. I did not contact Acting Superintendent Alricky Smith, nor did I formally request a discussion with the Board prior to making the announcement. Additionally, the process for applications for the LWHS principal position had been opened and closed. I am publicly acknowledging my misunderstanding of the policies and my inability to make such decisions before my contract begins on July 1, 2022.”
I await your feedback as well as your direction as to where/what media outlet I should make this public statement.
5 Medical Conditions That Impact Women More Than Men
Being a woman comes with so many blessings. Our bodies can do unique and amazing things — like growing life. But if you’re a woman, you’re also at greater risk for a number of diseases and conditions that are less common in men. We’re here to spread awareness about 6 of them, what they are and where to find help.
Autoimmune Diseases
There are more than 80 autoimmune diseases, and more than 75% of patients who have them are women. Autoimmune illnesses occur when the body’s immune system goes into overdrive and mistakenly attacks its own healthy cells. A few of the most common autoimmune diseases are lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, celiac disease, Type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis. Eating well is key to staying well if you have an autoimmune disease.
Breast Cancer
Breast cancer in men is a possibility, but it’s 100 times more common in women. The average risk of a woman developing breast cancer in her lifetime is about 12%. You can reduce your risk by living a healthy lifestyle — eating a balanced diet, choosing not to smoke, limiting alcohol intake and staying active.
Depression
Like anxiety, which is often comorbid with depression, women are also twice as likely as men to have depression. Depression can be caused and influenced by biological factors like fluctuating female hormones during the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, the postpartum period and menopause. Environmental factors like stress, pain, medical problems and level of family and social support also come into play.
Osteoporosis
In osteoporosis, the bones become weak and more likely to break. Of the 10 million Americans estimated to have osteoporosis, 80% of them are women. The older you are, the higher your risk gets when menopause sets in. Estrogen levels drop and bone loss increases as a result. To slow bone loss, get plenty of vitamin D, calcium and exercise.
Stroke
Strokes block the blood flow to the brain and kill more women than men. While risk factors like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking and family medical history apply to everyone, women have some unique risk factors for stroke. These include pregnancy, taking birth control pills, using hormone replacement therapy and having frequent migraines.
Comprehensive, Compassionate Women’s Care for Every Need
From annual wellness visits to guided prenatal care to finding solutions for your most sensitive health concerns, the dedicated team at AdventHealth delivers care that’s as individual as you are. Whatever your age and stage of life, and however complex your medical condition, we’re here to help you feel whole.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Homicide Unit is investigating a fatal crash that occurred, Sunday, May 15, 2022 in Avon Park.
At around 5:40 p.m., PCSO deputies and members of Polk County Fire Rescue responded to the scene of the single-vehicle crash on US 27 near the intersection of Tabitha Way.
According to witnesses and evidence at the scene, 26-year-old Ty Romero of Frostproof was driving a gray 2012 Kia Sorrento northbound and in the inside lane of US 27. For unknown reasons, Mr. Romero swerved into the grass median and overcorrected causing the Kia to fishtail across the northbound lanes. The Kia then slid on its side and flipped across the lanes before striking a tree on the west side of US 27. Mr. Romero, the sole occupant, was ejected from the vehicle and died at the scene.
Excessive speed and impairment are being investigated as possible causes. US 27 was closed in the area of the crash for about four hours during the investigation, which remains on-going.
At around 10:30 a.m., on Saturday, May 14, 2022, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office responded to a two-vehicle crash on Country Club Road near the intersection of Wedge Lane in Poinciana. The two vehicles involved were a black 2010 Acura MDX being driven by 30-year-old Keishly Malave of Kissimmee, and a white 2009 Nissan Altima being driven by 44-year-old Luis Valentin of Kissimmee.
According to witness statements and evidence at the scene, Mr. Valentin was traveling north on Country Club Road. Ms. Malave, also travelling north on Country Club Road, approached the Altima at a high rate of speed and attempted to illegally pass Mr. Valentin. This roadway has a double yellow center line to indicate a no passing zone.
Ms. Malave attempted to reenter the northbound lane to avoid colliding with oncoming southbound traffic and clipped the left front of Mr. Valentin’s vehicle. Upon impact, Ms. Malave’s Acura travelled onto the east shoulder sidewalk and struck a concrete light pole.
Ms. Malave died at the scene.
Mr. Valentin was uninjured.
The roadway was closed for approximately four hours during the investigation, which is ongoing.
Davenport, Florida- The Polk County Sheriff’s Office made an arrest on Thursday May 12, and charged the suspect with Attempted 2nd Degree Murder. The suspect Andy Miguel Peralta Cruz, DOB: 11/30/1999, fled from a Polk County Sheriff’s Office deputy following his arrest. Below is a complete redacted arrest affidavit:
“On May 12th, 2022, at approximately 1418 hours, I was dispatched to REDACTED, Davenport, FL 33837 in reference to a disturbance.
Upon arrival, I made contact with VICTIM, victim. The victim informed me she had been involved in a physical altercation with her boyfriend/suspect, Andy Miguel Peralta Cruz, whose identity was confirmed through REDACTED.
The victim advised she observed material on the suspect’s phone which led her to believe he was being unfaithful. The victim stated she confronted the suspect about the material which caused him to become angry. The victim advised the suspect wrapped both hands around her neck and began to choke her. The victim informed me as a result, she was unable to breathe. The victim advised she was able to strike the suspect to get him off of her. The victim informed me the suspect then placed his hand over her nose and mouth. The victim advised she bit the suspect’s hand which caused him to remove it from her face.
The victim advised the acts of the suspect were done against her will.
I observed red marks on the victim’s neck. I also observed bruising on the victim’s left arm. I took photographs of the victim. The victim declined medical attention and a domestic violence shelter.
The victim completed a sworn written statement containing details of the incident.
I made contact with the suspect who confirmed he was the primary aggressor, however, he would not provide any further information about the incident.
REDACTED During my investigation, I learned the suspect had an active warrant out of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania for strong-arm business robbery, warrant number CPCMS703324800. The suspect fled the jurisdiction of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. I was informed Lancaster County would extradite. The crime the suspect is charged with is a felony, and is punishable by more than one (1) year in prison.
The suspect was placed under arrest for domestic violence battery by strangulation and the extraditable warrant out of Lancaster County.
The suspect was handcuffed behind his back and double locked and secured in the rear of my agency issued vehicle. While in the rear passenger seat of my agency issued vehicle, the suspect began gagging and stated he was feeling unwell and felt like he was going to vomit. I opened the rear passenger door of my vehicle to allow the suspect to vomit while secured in handcuffs behind his back. After the suspect was provided the opportunity to vomit, I requested that he place his legs back in the vehicle so that the door could be closed. At this time, the suspect exited the vehicle and began to run in a southeasterly direction while secured in my handcuffs, depriving me of their use. Deputy Coquyt (#8163), who was present on scene, deployed his K9 partner Tigor who apprehended the suspect nearby at 43750 Hwy 27, Davenport, FL 33837. The suspect was taken into custody without further incident and was transported to HOSPITAL for treatment.
Detective Townes arrived at the incident location and conducted a sworn recorded interview with the victim. During the interview, the victim stated that the suspect intentionally placed his hand over her mouth and nose for approximately two (2) minutes, restricting her ability to breathe. While the suspect was restricting the victim’s breathing, he stated “I am going to kill you”.
Based on the new learned facts, the suspect was charged with the following: FSS 782.04 – Attempted 2nd Degree Murder (no weapon), FSS 941.13 – Fugitive from Justice, FSS 944.40 – Escape, FSS 812.014(3)(a) – Petit Theft, and FSS 941.13 – Resisting an Officer Without Violence.”
