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Stranger Reportedly Tried To Pick Up Lake Alfred Polytech Academy Student

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Stranger Reportedly Tried To Pick Up Lake Alfred Polytech Academy Student

Winter Haven, Florida – According to an email from the Polk County School Board a stranger attempted to pick up a Lake Alfred Polytech Academy Student while she was walking to her bus stop. The incident has been confirmed by the Winter Haven Police Department. According to the email a female student was walking to her bus stop at Palm Place Apartments in Winter Haven when a stranger offered to give her a ride. The student did not get into the vehicle and the person drove off. The Winter Haven Police Department is currently investigating the situation.

According to Jamie Brown with the Winter Haven Police Department they are investigating the incident and more information will be forth coming.

Winter Haven Middle Schooler Arrested For Allegedly Making Shooting & Death Threats To The School

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Winter Haven Middle Schooler Arrested For Allegedly Making Shooting & Death Threats To The School

WHPD Press Release

WINTER HAVEN – A 13 year-old Denison Middle School student has been identified and arrested for calling in a shooting threat last Friday, which caused a planned school dance to be cancelled.

Yesterday (5-22-18) Harry Benjamin Henderson (DOB 6-15-04, 7th St NE, Winter Haven) was identified and charged with making the threats to the school. The events unfolded like this:

On Friday (5-18-18) the administrative line at Denison Middle School received three phone calls stating people would be killed at the planned dance later in the evening.

The first call came in at 12:50 p.m. and a male voice said, “Thirty people are going to die at the dance tonightTell MS Cox her car is not safe.”  The caller hung up.

The next call came in at 12:59 p.m. and the same male voice said, “Thirty-five people are going to die tonight.”  The third and final call came in at 2:05 p.m., again with the same male voice stating. “Thirty people are going to die at the dance tonight.”

The principal contacted police and investigators immediately started work to identify the caller. In the meantime, Winter Haven Police planned to have uniformed officers at the dance. However, after further discussions, the school made the decision to cancel the school dance out of an abundance of caution.

As the investigation continued, there was no caller-ID found on the school phone system. Ultimately, investigators were able to obtain a phone number through the school’s phone service provider.

On Tuesday (5-22-18), Detectives went to the home of Henderson and made contact with his guardian and Henderson. Detectives spoke with Henderson and he told the detective that he made the calls and it was all a joke. He told detectives he did it all on his own.

At the time of this offense, Henderson had been placed on out-of-school suspension due to a previous incident that occurred at the school resulting in Henderson slapping another student in the face. Henderson was also barred from the planned school dance and told the $10 ticket he purchased of the dance would not be refunded.

Based on the fact the Henderson made three threatening phone calls reporting impending mass casualties and an intentional act to disrupt the school function with the dance being cancelled, Henderson was charged with Hoax Threats via Phone (F-2) and Disrupting a School Function (M-2).

“Let me make this perfectly clear,” said Chief Charlie Bird. “It is not a laughing matter involving any violence, particularly a shooting, whether at a school, a school function or any gathering no matter where the location. We are committed to making sure that anyone who thinks it’s a joke will find out that we aren’t laughing.”

Gourmet Gents Serving Polk County For 15 Years

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Gourmet Gents Serving Polk County For 15 Years

Gourmet Gents Serving Polk County For 15 Years

by James Coulter

Nathaniel Birdsong, Mayor Pro-Tem of Winter Haven, has been faithfully serving his constituents for more than 15 years.

During that same time, he has also been serving them literally with good old-fashioned home cooking during Gourmet Gents, the annual dinner and fundraiser for the Polk County chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women (NCBW 100).

For 15 years, he has consistently attended the annual dinner, serving everything from collard greens and macaroni and cheese to squash casserole and sweet potato soufflé.

“I have been coming out here since the beginning,” he said. “I have never missed it once.”

As someone who has worked at various restaurants in Winter Haven at a young age, Birdsong has developed a love of cooking, a love which he more than happily shares during the annual dinner.

Aside from serving good food, he loves supporting NCBW 100, not only because his wife is one of the founding members, but because it has supported many young black women within the local community.

“It is a great, great community event,” he said. “I like seeing the community and being in this event with the people who are putting in on.”

Gourmet Gents is the signature fundraiser for NCBW 100, a non-profit organization dedicated to advocating for the educational and economic support of young black women.

Since its inception, the Polk County chapter has provided much needed mentorship for young black women within Haines City and throughout the county, especially by providing them with scholarships.

“There are many young ladies from around here who have graduated from college,” said Lisa Cheatom, 100BW Secretary.

Their scholarships are funded through their annual signature dinner, Gourmet Gents, which has been hosted for the past 15 years.

 

The dinner offers food prepared and served by local men within the community, including local politicians like Birdsong. This year’s event had more than 50 gents serving food.

Aside from serving consistently good food from good local men, the event has also been going strong for the past 15 years due to the sense of camaraderie it creates among participants.

“It has been the support of the community,” explained Dana Moore, NCBW 100 President. “Without the individuals purchasing the tickets and the gents volunteering their time and food, we could not complete this.”

Dr. Shandale Terrell, Candidate for Florida House Representative District 40, has been attending for nearly 10 years, which each year allowing him to show off his 20 years of barbecuing experience.

This year he served sliced barbecue chicken, which he claims is so good that it disappears in seconds. The secret is the seasoning and marinate that he applies well before the event, he explained.

While he loves how other people love his barbecue, he loves supporting the mission and outreach of NCBW 100, as well as the overall good company.

“What I appreciate is that they give back to the community,” he said. “Most of all, I enjoy the [organization], the atmosphere, the camaraderie…it is the best, friendly atmosphere.”

Morris West, Mayor of Haines City, has been attending for the past three years since NCBW 100 started hosting its event within his city.

As with the other gents that evening, the event allows him to showcase his fine cooking, such as with the oatmeal cookies he served, prepared from homemade dough so thick he needed a fork to press them, he said.

But most of all, he appreciates being able to contribute to a great organization that has done great things for the young women within his city.

“Thank you to the NCBW 100 for all you do here and all you continue to do…to promote equity for all,” he addressed the crowd that evening. “Thank you all for coming out and taking time for your busy schedule to welcome each and every person here to support the vision of the organization.”

Polk County’s NCBW 100 will be hosting My Sister’s Keeper, a series of financial literacy workshops that are free to the public, next month. For more information, visit their website: http://www.nc100bwpcc.org/

Babson Park Elementary School Student Receives Room Makeover

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Babson Park Elementary School Student Receives Room Makeover

Babson Park Elementary School Student Receives Room Makeover

by James Coulter

For many young children, their bedroom is something they take great pride in; but for Gabriel Ocasio, 9, his bedroom was not always something to be proud of until recently.

His room and closet had no doors, his room required a window air conditioner due to lack of central air conditioning in his house, and a leaky roof had permanently damaged his bedroom walls, his grandmother, Karen Hernandez, explained.

That all changed when his room received a complete makeover funded and provided by his school earlier this month.

Gabriel, a Winter Haven resident, was one of the lucky students at Babson Park Elementary chosen for the makeover through an essay contest hosted earlier in the school year.

He was one out of seven students selected as finalists, and when it finally came time to determine a winner, Gabriel was chosen through a unanimous consensus by the school administration, explained Jason Brewner, third grade teacher.

Not only did Gabriel receive sympathy due to him being an honor roll student who rarely gets into trouble, but also because of him being a low-income student living with his grandparents in a house that needed much work, Brewner explained.

“We wanted to do something really nice for a kid, not necessarily change his life, but to keep him on track so that he can be successful…and to be a blessing to the family and the community,” Brewner said.

Gabriel was announced as the winner of the contest during a school meeting in April, and he and his family were sent on an all-expense-paid weekend-long vacation to SeaWorld earlier this month while volunteers from the school worked on his home.

When he finally returned home on Sunday evening, he and his family could hardly recognize his room, as it had been completely renovated from the ground up.

His walls were rebuilt with new insulation and painted with a fresh coat of paint, new flooring and furniture were added such as shelves, desk, and a bunk bed, and his room and closest finally received doors.

Best of all, the entire room was themed to his favorite video game, Super Mario, with his walls plastered with stickers and posters of Super Mario characters, and with his bed and window receiving themed sheets and curtains.

“It is awesome,” he said. “It feels like they replaced the entire house with a whole new house.”

Gabriel has been living with his grandparents ever since he was two-months-olds. His grandmother admits that his room, as well as their house, was not in the best condition, especially with a leaky roof that caused damage to their walls.

Having lived from paycheck-to-paycheck most of their lives, with a few repairs to the house here and there, Karen was more than ecstatic to have her grandson’s school remodel her house.

“I give them all the glory and thank them from the bottom of my heart,” she said. “I really appreciate it.”

The funding for the room makeover project, including the hotel and SeaWorld tickets, was provided through a $2,000 grant from Duke Energy conferred to the school last year.

Brewner had suggested the room makeover idea to the school, and he hopes that they receive funding from potential sponsors in the future to continue this endeavor for other students.

As for Gabriel, he is so happy to have a new room and clean to himself that he doesn’t even eat in it to make sure that he doesn’t leave a mess that he can’t clean up.

“I am going to keep it clean and not make a mess in it,” he said. “I will makes sure that the room is cleaned up so there are no holes in the wall.”

Lake Wales Fire Department Battling House Fire on D Street

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Lake Wales Fire Department Battling House Fire on D Street

Lake Wales Fire Dept is battling a house fire on D St. near intersection of Lincoln Ave this morning.

Preliminary information is that no one was injured.

We will bring you more information as it becomes available.

County Breaks Ground On $17.5 Million Project At Bartow High School

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County Breaks Ground On $17.5 Million Project At Bartow High School

Polk County School Board Press Release

Polk County Public Schools officials on Tuesday broke ground for a major renovation to Bartow High School.

The school district will be adding a new, two-story building and Construction Academy, as well as renovating and adding more space to the Culinary Arts building. In total, the new buildings and addition will encompass more than 64,000 square feet.

As part of the $17.5 million project, six buildings at the school will be completely demolished, and a seventh will be partially demolished. All of these structures set are older than 55 years and no longer meet the needs of students.

“This is something that is long overdue and I’m happy to be part of it,” said Superintendent Jacqueline M. Byrd during the groundbreaking ceremony at BHS.

“With all the rain, there is always a refresh. Today we begin the refresh of Bartow High School. This is something we’ve waited a long time for, and this is something the Bartow community deserves.”

Construction begins this week and is expected to last through fall 2019.

The renovation is being made possible by the half-cent sales tax referendum approved in 2003 that pays for the school district’s critical building and capacity needs.

“Your tax dollars have been well spent over these past 15 years. Your dollars have been well spent in our classrooms to improve the quality of education,” said Ashley Troutman, chairman of the school district’s half-cent sales tax oversight committee, during the groundbreaking. “I want to encourage Polk County to continue to support the sales tax so we can continue to spend those dollars wisely within our community.”

School Board member Hazel Sellers, who represents the district that includes BHS, added:

“This has been a long, long time coming,” she said. “The buildings that we’re going to build will be built so that they can best suit our students. This project is the perfect example of putting students first.”

School Board member Billy Townsend was also in attendance and said:

“What this represents is a community investing in itself. This did not happen by accident. This happened because a community decided that we have a future that’s worth sacrificing for, spending for and investing in, and I’m proud to be here today to be part of that.”

Bartow Mayor Leo Longworth said:

“It’s very important for schools and cities to work together to achieve success for the community. That’s what we have been doing in Bartow,” he said. “Great schools facilitate economic development —businesses, people, housing. That’s what we’re striving for in Bartow. This renovation will be a game changer.”

During the construction process, students will attend classes in portable classrooms, moving into the newly constructed and renovated buildings as they are completed.

Anytime Fitness in Winter Haven Hosts its Monthly Open House

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Anytime Fitness in Winter Haven Hosts its Monthly Open House

Anytime Fitness in Winter Haven Hosts its Monthly Open House

By Allison Williams

For those who love a good workout challenge, a team environment or personalized workouts, Anytime Fitness in Winter Haven is the place to be. The facility hosts a monthly open house that takes place every third Tuesday of the month.

Brian Dyke, Regional Team Leader, helps run the event every month.

Anytime Fitness staff members host the open houses for two reasons: “The first reason is to have some fun in the club with our members,” Dyke said. “It is also to afford people the opportunity to try the club out at no expense and come with someone they know.”

Follow the Open House Facebook page for more information:

https://www.facebook.com/events/377977669382970/

As a bonus, for the month of May, guests are invited to stop by every Tuesday for a free workout.

Staff invited members and guests to participate in the “challenge workout” throughout the day at this month’s open house.

“It’s just a fun way to engage with the members,” Dyke said. “We do a different challenge every open house.”

Tuesday’s workout was extra “challenging” as members were invited to do the “super challenge workout” in addition to their group-training workout. Tuesday’s workout consisted of two rounds. Members completed timed exercises, including jump lunges, Spiderman pushups, suspension 90-degree pull-ups and overhead medicine ball slams.

Anytime Fitness in Winter Haven offers group training Monday through Thursdays in the evening and Friday and Saturday mornings.

Heidi Hayes, Anytime Fitness owner explained how the group training sessions work. There are burn, build and bay session options.

Base sessions: beginner level

Burn sessions: intermediate level

Build sessions: advanced level

There is a group training session for all levels of fitness. “Sometimes getting into a group like this, people see that it is high intensity and they think ‘well that’s not for me’, but we will actually go through an assessment and designate what type of session they belong in,” Hayes said.

This process allows members to be placed in the appropriate group setting so that they feel more comfortable with their specific workout and surroundings.

Anytime Fitness staff members are constantly striving to show the members of the community that they care about their fitness and wellbeing.

“Days like this are the exact reason why people should come here,” Dyke said. “At the end of the day, we are just trying to show people that we care and we want to be a supportive community. We want to be involved and make sure people have a great experience here.”

Those interested in hearing more about what Anytime Fitness has to offer are encouraged to attend next month’s open house for a free workout on June 19. This will be a great opportunity to ask questions, try the equipment out and meet the staff.

Staff members will be happy to explain how memberships work, offer a tour of the facility and answer any questions.

Anytime Fitness is located at 710 Cypress Gardens Blvd, Winter Haven, Florida 33880

Phone: (863) 280-6954

Website: Click here

 

 

Skate Park Proposed For Downtown Winter Haven

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Skate Park Proposed For Downtown Winter Haven

Skate Park Proposed For Downtown Winter Haven

by James Coulter

Jessie Skubna and Robbie Loftus, co-owners of Jessie’s Lounge in Winter Haven, both have children who love to skate.

However, a lack of a local skate park often means the two have to travel out of town, sometimes across the state, to allow their children an opportunity to skate.

Loftus has three sons who often skate five times a week. Sometimes they visit the skate park in Lakeland, though they have also traveled to Orlando and Tampa.

Even though they have a lot of fun traveling, the two have always wanted a local place for their children to skate, and as such, have been advocates for a local skate park.

Their dream seems to quickly becoming a reality, as the City of Winter Haven recently revealed conceptual art for a proposed skate park in downtown Winter Haven.

“We are excited that the city is moving forward with this and they are enthusiastic about it,” Scubna said. “We are excited.”

Three preliminary conceptual designs for a local skate park were presented during an open house at the Winter Haven Senior Adult Center on Thursday evening.

The proposed skate park would be built within a 20 to 25,000 square foot area along Lake Silver, near the outdoor lakeside amphitheater where the Cypress Gardens Ski Team currently hosts their free monthly ski show.

“We were just thinking of possible areas to put a skate park, and thought this will be a good one [location] as a tie-in with the trail,” said Travis W. Edwards, Winter Haven Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Director.

The estimated cost for the park’s construction ranges between $300,000 to one million dollars, with some funding already having been allocated, he explained.

The City of Winter Haven has since issued a request for qualifications that will close on June 20. After which, a professional service selection committee will rank the top three construction firms for the project and make a recommendation to the City Manager, who will then make a recommendation to the City Commission, before entering into contract negotiation, Edwards said.

Once approved, the skate park’s construction is expected to take 18 months to complete, with an estimated opening date of December 2019, he said.

The skate park has been a community-driven proposal, with many local residents having previously called for the construction of such a park.

“Getting community input is critical,” Edwards said. “This is something that has to be driven by …those who will utilize the facility.”

Most local residents who skate have been forced to travel more than half an hour to the closest skate park, which is the Lakeland Skate Park at Fletcher Park.

More than a dozen local residents arrived at the open house for the event to show their support, review the designs, and provide feedback on the proposals.

TJ Murphy, 21, was born and raised in the city. Having always skated since he was young, always wanted his city to have a skate park.

Looking over the three designs, he prefers one design with a more “cohesive design” that provides a “continuous flow” rather than another design with has greenery within the center of the park, as it would disrupt a skating experience.

“When it comes to a skate park, you want to stay on your board,” he said. “The less you get off your board, the better.”

Now that he lives in Jacksonville, he’s slightly jealous that the city is only now starting to construct a park, yet he’s happy that younger children will finally have a local place to skate.

“I think it will be beneficial for the kids because a lot of kids do not have an outlet,” he said. “The location is good and the size is promising and people will travel to winter haven. Things are not that far away, it will be good for local business.”

For more information and updates about the proposed skate park, visit the city’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/winterhavenparks/

Apartment Fire in Winter Haven Displaces 4 Families

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Apartment Fire in Winter Haven Displaces 4 Families

WHPD Press Release

Apartment Fire in Winter Haven Displaces 4 Families

Today at approximately 5:05 p.m., the Winter Haven Fire Department responded to a two-alarm fire at Briarcrest Apartments, located at 200 Ave. K SE in Winter Haven.  There were no injuries, except one dog was rescued from a balcony and taken to a local veterinarian to be evaluated. The dog is expected to make a full recovery.

With assistance from Polk County Fire Rescue, approximately 35 personnel responded to the apartment complex to find apartment #202, a second-story apartment, engulfed in flames. Heavy black smoke could be seen coming out of the roof with flames showing through back windows. Members from the Winter Haven Police Department and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office assisted with road closures alone Ave. K. The roadway was closed down for approximately 45 minutes.

When fire personnel arrived, the family reported that there was a dog that was trapped on the second-story balcony. When fire personnel reached the balcony, the dog’s head was stuck in the railing of the balcony from an obvious attempt to flee the fire. The pup was freed and immediately given oxygen until a Polk County Sheriff’s deputy transported him to the veterinarian office. As stated before, the dog is expected to make a full recovery.

The fire was contained to one apartment, however due to the common roof, TECO had to cut all power and ultimately four families have been displaced. The Red Cross was notified to assist the families if needed.

The fire is still under investigation, but preliminary indicators show a possible cause was due to oil left unattended heating on the stove.

“Due to the great cooperation of all agencies involved, this fire was contained and quickly taken care of resulting in no injuries,” said Winter Haven Fire Administrator and Police Chief Charlie Bird.

In Loving Memory of James Vest, 27, of Babson Park

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In Loving Memory of James Vest, 27, of Babson Park

James Vest, 27, of Babson Park, passed away unexpectedly on May 13th 2018.

James was born in Cobleskill, New York to Andrew Vest and Lisa Durkin on June 29th 1990, and was the youngest of four children.
Those of us who were lucky enough to know James knew underneath his tough exterior lay a kind, loving man like no other. He loved his two beautiful daughters, niece and nephews, family and friends. He will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him.
James is preceded in death by brother Andrew Vest and mother Lisa Durkin.
James is survived by daughter Sophia Vest, daughter Olivia Vest, sister Jazmin Balleza, father Andrew Vest, stepmother Rhonda Vest, nephew Evan Balleza, nephew Mason Balleza, and neice Analisa Balleza.
A Celebration Of Life will be held on Sunday May 27th at the Babson Park Women’s Club 1300 N Scenic Highway, Babson Park, FL 33827, from 4-6pm.
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