Celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a parade on Saturday!
Road closures are scheduled for Saturday, January 18, 2025, during the 46th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Parade.
Closures will begin around 9 AM and are expected to reopen by 12 PM.
Temporary delays may occur at the intersection of S. Lake Silver Dr and 3rd St NW.
The map indicates the closures and detours.
Michelle Anderson Maldonado, 56 years young
Michelle Anderson Maldonado of Avon Park passed away Tuesday, January 14, 2025 at AdventHealth Sebring.
Michelle was born May 31, 1968 in Avon Park; she was a retired secretary for Ben Hill Griffin, Inc. and was of the Baptist faith. She was a loving mother, daughter, sister, and MeMe.
Michelle was preceded in death by her father, Larry Rhodes and brother, Ricky Rhodes. She is survived by her husband, Robert Maldonado; mother, Ruby Rhodes; sisters, Gwen Blassingm (Kevin) and Pamela Emmerich; daughters, Sheenia Anderson (DJ) and Cierra Michelle Anderson; son, Adam Joseph Anderson (Heather Ellison); stepdaughter, Candy Steedley; uncle, Thomas Smith; uncle and aunt, Dale and Gail Rhodes; nine grandchildren; one great-granddaughter; mothers-in-law, Lois Anderson and Geneva Suarez; and best friend, Migna Torres.
A visitation will be held from 2:00 p.m. until the funeral service at 3:00 p.m., Monday, January 20, 2025 at Marion Nelson Funeral Home in Frostproof with Rev. Sam Haag officiating.
MISSING RUNAWAY:
On 11/27/2024, APD responded to a report of a missing/runaway juvenile NATALEE DENISE GOODWIN.
Goodwin is 5’5” with brown hair and brown eyes, LSW wearing a black crop top shirt, light blue jeans, and sparkly sandals.
Goodwin removed her electronic device and was last seen around Whispering Trails Blvd in Winter Haven, FL.
If in contact confirm status, hold and notify Detective Perrington @ 863-207-8700 or the on-duty APD supervisor at the time of contact.
UPDATE 1/17/25 7:00 am – Horstman provides the following update to last night’s shooting in Frostproof:
“The suspect is in custody. The situation was domestic in nature, between a man and his daughter’s boyfriend. The victim has a non-life threatening injury and is expected to recover. The investigation is ongoing.”
Polk County Sheriff’s Office Media Relations Administrator, Carrie Horstman, has confirmed that a shooting that occurred in Frostproof on Thursday, January 16, 2025, has resulted in a gunshot wound and active investigation.
Horstman has provided the following statement:
“We are investigating a shooting that occurred on Garrison Lane in Frostproof around 6:35 p.m. The victim, an adult male, has been transported to a local hospital”
Because this is an active investigation, no further information is available or is being released at this time. Horseman does say that there is likely no danger to the public at this time.
There will be an update to the story when further information is available.
Auburndale Police Department:
On 12/21/2024, at the Walmart located at 2120 Hwy 92 W., Auburndale, FL. a retail theft occurred. Two (2) unknown male JV’s entered the store and were observed selecting clothing items and then wandering around the store. The male JV in the purple hoodie pulled a Walmart plastic bag out of his pants pocket and then both JV’s hid the merchandise in that bag. Both male JV’s headed to the General Merchandise door where they walked past all points of sale without any attempt to pay, depriving Walmart of $122.00.
SUSPECT 1 – Hispanic Male, 12-16 YOA, curly brown/blk hair, LSW a black NIKE hoodie, black shorts with red flowers, blue/gray tennis shoes.
SUSPECT 2 – Hispanic Male, 12-17 YOA, buzz cut brown/black hair, LSW a purple hoodie w/ white logo, gray sweatpants, and red tennis shoes.
If you have any information, please contact Officer Rieger at 863-965-5555 or email at [email protected]
In December 2024, Tanners Lakeside announced that Paul Diakomihalis would be joining the team as its newest operations partner. Now about a month in, Diakomihalis is enjoying his time with the Tanners crew. Let’s dive in and learn more about the face behind the name!
About me: “I was born here in Winter Haven in 1985 and moved with my mother to Greece in 1990. I went to school in Greece until I was 16 and then returned to the USA, to Wauchula, Florida, where my father had a very successful restaurant called The Breadboard. After it was sold, at the age of 20, I proceeded to open my own restaurant in Wauchula, which was very successful. There was an article about it on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives from the Food Network with Guy Fieri, called Paul’s Kitchen,”Diakomihalis said.
Fast forward to 2016, Diakomihalis wanted to move to a place that was bigger with more opportunities. The restaurant was sold and he purchased the old Denny’s building in Bartow on 98 and transformed it into The New Breadboard.
Diakomihalis said, “Eventually, the city bought out Mike’s Steak and Seafood on 98 and made it into Starbucks, and Mike wanted to buy my building and turn it into Mike’s Grill.”
He added, “Then, I came to Winter Haven, where I’ve been living for the last 15 years, almost. I was helping my family at Big Tom’s Diner until it was sold to a non-Greek, and then Philip and Greg found the opportunity, as they quoted, to ‘grab me and take the opportunity’ to make me a partner and try, with my experience and knowledge of the restaurant industry, to get Tanner’s to the next level again, like it used to be.”
If you’ve ever been to Tanners Lakeside, you know that they offer all sorts of great food, drinks and entertainment. Now with Diakomihalis on board, Tanners is offering lots of NEW and exciting entertainment and dining options to add to their already big list of options.
For example, starting Saturday, January 18, Tanners will be offering lakeside brunch options from 10:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m.
Tanners is located at 1006 S Lake Howard Drive in Winter Haven.
39-year old Thomas Criswell of Dundee was arrested by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office Wednesday night, January 15, 2025.
PCSO deputies went to a residence on Scenic Highway near Race Road in Dundee, to find Thomas. He had a felony warrant out of Charlotte County.
Thomas was a bit reluctant with the arrest. Once he was handcuffed, he became very angry and continually attempted to pull away from the deputy.
Finally, when Thomas was placed into the holding cell, he kicked the door, which smacked into the deputy’s hand and caused an injury. You could say it was a felonious injury, because that earned Thomas an extra felony charge.
In addition to the arrest for the warrant, Thomas’ temper tantrums got him an additional three charges by the PCSO: resisting without violence, resisting with violence, and the aforementioned battery on a LEO.
UPDATE 5:30pm 1/16/25: Katelyn Hoverkamp, public information officer for Polk County Fire Rescue, reports that three people were transported from the scene.
At approximately 2:50 PM this afternoon, Thursday, January 16, 2025, the traffic collision was reported at or near the intersection of Hwy. 60 E and Doherty Dr. in Lake Wales.
Mild to moderate damage of involved vehicles has been reported. Multiple ambulances were dispatched to the scene. An update on injuries is forthcoming.
Brian Bruchey, Public Information Officer for Polk County Sheriff’s Office, says the scene is close to being cleared at this time.
Please proceed with caution through this are.
Yesterday, while conducting traffic enforcement in Polk County, Troopers with the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) observed a grey Chrysler Pacifica westbound on Ernie Caldwell Boulevard. The Pacifica had New York license plates and had been reported stolen.
After performing a traffic stop, the driver of the vehicle, identified as Stephanie Niccole Hanley, 33 years of age, of Davenport, was found to have no valid driver’s license. Hanley advised Troopers that she had taken possession of the vehicle on December 26, 2024, and was using it to take her son to school.
An inventory of the vehicle was conducted, and a black backpack within was found to have several controlled prescription medications in a plastic bag, in addition to methamphetamine.
Stephanie Niccole Hanley was charged with the following:
As Troopers placed Hanley under arrest, a grey Hyundai pulled up. The driver, identified as Giovanne Junior Rivera Torres, 36, of Orlando, advised he was Hanley’s husband. After checking the Florida tag attached to the Hyundai, it was found that it was not assigned to the vehicle. Rivera Torres then asked the Troopers “how long this would take,” as he had left Hanley’s four-year-old daughter unattended at the residence.
Troopers responded to Hanley’s residence and found that her four-year-old daughter had been left alone and unattended at the residence for over an hour. Giovanne Junior Rivera Torres was then placed under arrest for child neglect without great bodily harm.
Both Stephanie Niccole Hanley and Giovanne Junior Rivera Torres were transported to Polk County Jail without incident.
January 16, 2025 – Opening night of Anastasia at Theatre Winter Haven!
Inspired by the beloved film, ANASTASIA transports us from the twilight of the Russian Empire to the euphoria of Paris in the 1920s, as a brave young woman sets out to discover the mystery of her past. Pursued by a ruthless Soviet officer determined to silence her, Anya enlists the aid of a dashing conman and a lovable ex-aristocrat. Together, they embark on an epic adventure to help her find home, love, and family.With its opulent settings, dazzling costumes, and a soaring score including the song favorites from the hit animated film, “Journey to the Past” and “Once Upon a December,” ANASTASIA is the spectacular new musical about discovering who you are and defining who you’re meant to be.
Shows will run from Jan 16- Feb 16, 2025
For tickets and showtimes, please visit our website www.theatrewinterhaven.com
Theatre Winter Haven is located at 210 Cypress Gardens Blvd SW
Winter Haven, FL
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