Victoria Michelle Aponte spent 23 years in this world with us. Sadly, her soul left us on February 10th, 2024. What remains are the marks she left on each person she came across whether it be a passing moment or a lifetime spent together; may her memory live on through her loved ones.
She found her purpose working with young kids on the spectrum and training to become a Registered Behavioral Technician, flexing her patience and showering them with unconditional care. Toria will be remembered for her warmth, radical honesty, and silly jokes that would leave you with belly aches from endless laughter. Whenever we needed a hype woman, a therapist, a protector, or just an ear, she never failed to show up.
In Loving Memory of Victoria Michelle Aponte
In her absence, we are left to fill the huge gap she has left for us all. But knowing Toria, she would want us to dance and sing and laugh to remember her. A visitation is planned for Friday, February 16, 2024 at 1:00 pm at Oak Ridge Funeral Care in Winter Haven, Florida, with a funeral service starting at 2:00 pm.
Winter Haven- Mrs. Lorraine Noella Eames, 89, passed away peacefully on February 11, 2024, surrounded by family and friends.
Born in Millville, Mass, on December 31, 1934. She moved to Winter Haven from N. Smithfield, RI, in 1974. She was a shorthand secretary for both garment and textile companies, along with a transportation company. In Florida, she was revered with her in home childcare, as well as a preschool teacher. Her final career, before retirement, was a subcontractor for “For Sale by Owner” real estate magazine. She attended St. Matthew Catholic Church.
Lorraine was survived by her loving children, son, Thomas (Carmen), daughter, Dawn, and grandson (Robert). She was preceded in death by her parents, Patrick and Lydia Britt, brothers; John, Russell, William, Donald, David, sisters; Florence Lesperance, Hazel Poissant, Eileen Paige, Mary Sarlin, Theresa Bartlett, Barbara Littlefield, and her loving husband (Robert), to whom she was married to for 38 years.
A Funeral Mass will be Wednesday, February 21, at 9 a.m. at St. Matthew Catholic Church, Winter H
Traffic Alert: This Thursday and Friday (Feb. 15 & 16) the paving contractor will be paving CR559/Polk City Rd. from Joshua Ct. south to Lake Ariana Blvd. Expects delays and please avoid this area if possible. Thank you for your patience.
The City of Winter Haven’s Search for an Alternative Water Supply Elicits Conspiracy
by James Coulter
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of DailyRidge.com
Winter Haven City Commissioners recently approved a special warranty for a piece of property to be utilized, among other purposes, for the operational facilities of the city’s water department. However, this property acquisition may have drawn the conspiratorial ire of some concerned citizens.
At their recent meeting on Monday evening, city commissioners voted unanimously to approve a resolution accepting the special warranty deed for a piece of property that the city had acquired for $10 million.
The City Commission had approved entering into an agreement with BF 1500 LLC, a Florida limited liability company, to purchase the property on Dec. 11, to which BF 1500 LCC delivered the special warranty deed on Dec. 15., according to the city staff memo.
Mayor Pro Tem Nathaniel J. Birdsong Jr. explained that the property would be used for recharge and storage and a future nature park and operational facilities for the city’s water department.
“This is a very important project to the City of Winter Haven,” he said. “One of the major challenges that the entire Polk County is going to face has to do with fresh drinking water. This is a project that will contribute to alternative water supplies for the City of Winter Haven. We are very excited about it.”
The stated goals of this city project are congruent with current efforts to address a potential water shortage within the county. The Polk Regional Water Cooperative was founded in 2016 to address such concerns.
“Polk County lies wholly within the Central Florida Water Initiative (CFWI) and the majority of the county also lies within the District’s Southern Water Use Caution Area, where groundwater withdrawals have caused adverse impacts to lakes, wetlands, and natural systems,” its website states. “The District identified that Polk County was reaching sustainable limits of traditional groundwater supplies through the 2015 CFWI Regional Water Supply Plan and would need to begin developing alternative water supplies.”
However, the city’s efforts to find alternative water supplies, including the acquisition of this property, elicited conspiracy from some concerned citizens.
One resident addressed the commission during public comment, inquiring about the cost and transparency of the acquisition. She argued that residents should be better informed about such matters, to which Birdsong insisted that the commission had discussed the acquisition in previous meetings.
Earlier that evening, that same resident went on a rambly tirade about water fluoridation during the public comments section of the meeting. She raised dubious claims that fluoride caused diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s, and how America was one of the few countries to fluoridize their drinking water.
“[Fluoride] lowers the intelligence of children by six points, creates dementia and Alzheimer’s, creates bone cancer, and also bad for our teeth,” she said. “So, it is very dangerous, and it is in the Winter Haven water. It is not a joke that business owners know how unsavory the water of Winter Haven. I think everyone knows that, and we are paying for it.”
Water fluoridation has long been a concern among many conspiracy theorists, who have claimed fluoride lowers IQ and causes everything from Alzheimer’s to cancer. These conspiracies have led many cities (74 cities since 2018) to vote on removing fluoride from their drinking water, according to the American Dental Association.
However, scientists and public health officials, including those from the American Dental Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, have averred that fluoride is perfectly safe and healthy.
“The frets over fluoride are reminiscent of the unfounded fear that vaccines cause autism: disproved by science, yet steadfast nonetheless,” NBC News reported in a 2018 article. “The persistence of fluoride conspiracy theories…is alarming public health officials, including the American Dental Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, who say fluoride is a safe, inexpensive way to boost children’s oral health.”
Winter Haven Police have obtained an arrest warrant for a suspect in the shooting at The Office Pub on Feb. 8, 2024.
Intense investigation has been ongoing since the incident and 27 year-old Diquon “Quon” Malik Diallo (DOB 7-2-96, LNA 921 Ave. T SE, Winter Haven) was identified as the person who shot the victim in the parking lot. The victim remains on life support at a local hospital.
The warrant charges are for Attempted First Degree Murder, Use of Firearm During A Felony and Discharge of Firearm in Public. Anyone with information on Diallo’s whereabouts is asked to contact Detective Maldonado at 863-837-0946.
If you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact Heartland Crime Stoppers:
Call 1-888-400-TIPS (8477)
From your cell phone, dial **TIPS
Or visit the website www.heartlandcrimestoppers.com and click on “Submit A Tip,”
Or download the free “P3tips” app on your smartphone or tablet. You will always remain anonymous when you send a tip through Crime Stoppers and you are eligible for a cash reward of up to $5,000 if your information leads to an arrest.
Smoke On the Water is Dead. Long Live Smoke Off the Water.
by James Coulter
For nearly 20 years, Smoke on the Water has been hosted at the Boys and Club of Polk County (BGCPC) in Winter Haven. However, when the BGCPC pulled the plug on the event being hosted on their property, the annual barbecue fundraiser was forced to cancel this year’s event.
Fortunately, The Humane Society of Polk County more than graciously opened its doors, and the event was rescheduled and hosted on its property under the new name Smoke Off the Water.
While the newly-named fundraiser did not have barbecue teams competing for awards and prizes through a Kansas City Barbecue Society (KCBS)-style competition, attendees were still able to enjoy finger-licking good barbecue along with live music, good drinks, and several other vendors.
Proceeds from the event will go towards the Humane Society of Polk County, a local non-profit organization that operates Central Florida’s only non-kill animal shelter. When the BGCPC decided not to have the annual event hosted on their property, the Humane Society swooped in to save it from being canceled.
“The Humane Society was extremely excited at the opportunity to host Smoke off the Water,” said Kristin Woolf, Board of Director and Treasurer. “The opportunity presented itself, and it is not free to help animals. So we are very excited to partner with the event and put it together these past few weeks.”
Both the Humane Society and the event organizers had only three weeks to plan and set up the event at the new location. However, all of their hard work paid off when the event experienced a phenomenal turnout.
“We just could not be more grateful for the turnout we had this year. It is the best turnout,” Woolf said. “I do not know if I can feel my legs right now. It had been two long days.”
The push for the Humane Society to pick up where the BGCPC was spurned on by public outcry over Smoke on the Water being canceled. When news broke out, people called and contacted the event organizers begging and pleading for the event to go on.
“The community outcry was incredible,” said Kevin Ward, the Boss Hof of the Executive Committee. “When we got canceled…our phones and Facebooks were blowing up with people saying we can’t cancel this event…We are so excited that the Humane Society decided to pick us up to put this on for them, and we did. We pulled it off, and it was better than ever.”
Ward and his fellow committee members were more than pleased by the turnout for their newly named Smoke Off the Water. The turnout was exceptional, and the vendors and other volunteers helped pull the event off within the short time frame of three weeks.
“I think we had one of the best turnouts we ever had,” he said. “I love the camaraderie we have with the people who have been doing this for however long.”
Marcia Smith was impressed with how well the event was organized. She is eternally grateful for everyone who helped put it on, especially those who worked to ensure the event and its new location were clean.
“We would like to thank Keep Winter Haven Clean and Beautiful for coming out to help keep the trash and everything for a minimum, to keep it beautiful,” she said.
Melanie Brown Culpepper has been volunteering at the event for many years. As a local philanthropist who loves to give back to her community through various local fundraisers and committees, she especially loves Smoke On/Off the Water for its overall lively camaraderie.
“I am so glad and honored to be able to do this and to see the whole community coming together these past three weeks and making this happen,” she said. “I am happy we can help with this, and one of the best turnouts I have been to.”
Help us identify the pair that took off with a puppy that a 15 year-old allowed them to hold!
On 2-13-24 at approximately 2:24 p.m., a 15 year-old was walking along 6th St SE carrying her 8-week-old Pomeranian puppy. A silver/gray newer model Mustang Mach-E 4-door pulled up to the girl and the driver told the girl she thought the puppy was cute and asked to hold the puppy. The Hispanic female (with acne scarring on her face and wearing a flowered dress) then handed the puppy to the black male passenger and they took off towards Cypress Gardens Blvd. The puppy is tan with a pink collar with a red bell. The puppy does not yet respond to a name. Anyone with information on the identities of the two subjects in the vehicle should call Winter Haven Police at 863-401-2256
On January 31st, 2024, at approximately 10:14 P.M., a gray/silver 4-door small SUV type vehicle was observed entering the carport area located on the east side of the building at Gapway Grove Shop.
Three unknown suspects exited the vehicle and began to rummage around the shop. A set of Jumper cables were stolen from the property and 3 fire extinguishers were discharged.
Suspect 1 – White Male wearing a grey T–shirt, long black pants, sandals, and a light brown ball cap.
Suspect 2 – White Female wearing a green jacket, long jeans, and long black/dark brown hair.
Suspect 3 – White Male wearing a black t-shirt, long blue jeans, black shoes with dark hair.
Possible suspect names could be Mike, Kent or Kev.
If you have any information, please contact Detective Adair at 863-965-5555 or by email [email protected]
The Auburndale Police Department responded to a retail theft at Lowes located at 2301 Highway 92 West, Auburndale, FL. An unknown White Male approached the register in the garden center to check out. While at the register, the suspect created confusion for the cashier, allowing him time to do a quick exchange of money where the suspect pocketed $800.00 for a transaction that was $1474.61.
Suspect – White Male, wearing a dark brown polo shirt, with a yellow safety vest, black shorts, black shoes, dark blue Adidas hat, sunglasses.
If you have any information, please contact Detective Adair at 863-837-5115 or by email [email protected]
THIS Thursday, February 15th, the Auburndale Public Library will be hosting FAMILY NIGHT from 4:30 P.M. to 6:00 P.M.!
This month’s theme is “Love For Reading is in the Air”. This event will feature New Worlds Reading Workshop with the YMCA. Bring the whole family & join us for fun crafts, sensory play, a workshop for parents, and a free dinner!
