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Lake Wales YMCA To Become City Of Lake Wales Family Recreation Center With Improvements Planned

Staff Reporter
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Lake Wales, Fla. (August 10, 2023) – City Manager James Slaton announced plans for the City to assume operations of the City’s Family Recreation Center after the West Central Florida YMCA departs in October.

New state of the art gym equipment and fitness classes are key components of the preliminary plan. Staff recently met with consultants who specialize in designing floor plans for gyms and fitness rooms.

 

“Our goal is to create a fresh, modern space for families to engage in health and wellness activities,” City Manager James Slaton said. “The facility is a landmark in our community, and we plan to make it better by staffing it with people skilled in recreation programming and business management.”

 

The City recently invested more than $200,000 enhancing the pool. Annual swim lessons are free for city residents.

 

“Our recreation programming will include various activities for kids and adults,” Parks & Recreation Manager Stephanie Lutton said.

 

Another part of the plan is to keep membership pricing affordable for city residents and non-city residents. “Our strategy is to create an affordable recreation hub where families can be active and have fun,” Lutton added. 

 

Citizens are encouraged to participate in the upcoming membership drive scheduled to start in October. Select membership joiners’ fees will be waived for all members starting October 1 through January 31. Current members will have the opportunity to register in the City’s membership database.

 

A celebration ceremony and pool party themed fall festival are scheduled to take place. Details will be available on the City’s website and social media.

 

 

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It is the goal of the City of Lake Wales to ensure that the services we provide are as accessible for individuals with disabilities as they are for individuals without disabilities. If this correspondence or any attachments provided do not address your specific needs, please email us and we will work to provide the information to you via alternative means. If you have questions or require additional information, please contact the City Clerk at [email protected].

City of Lake Wales e-mail and web site domain name have changed to Lakewalesfl.gov. E-mails to cityoflakewales.com addresses will no longer be delivered.

NOTICE: Under Florida law, e-mail addresses are public records. If you do not want your e-mail address released in response to a public-records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity. Instead, contact this department by phone or in writing.

14-Year-Old Frostproof Middle-Senior High Student Named NBHA 3D Youth World Champion

Staff Reporter
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14-Year-Old Frostproof Middle-Senior High Student Named NBHA 3D Youth World Champion

by James Coulter

Even despite one of her horses receiving a minor injury, Hayleigh Rodgers still managed to win the National Barrel Horse Association (NBHA) Youth and Teen World Championships in July.

The 14-year-old Frostproof Middle-Senior High student was named the 3D Youth World Champion. Her awards included a championship belt buckle, two finalist buckles, a customized leather jacket, a new saddle, three checks, $2500 in cash, and an electric bike.

Rodgers traveled seven hours to Georgia with her family and two horses, Reba and Diesel, to compete in the NBHA Youth and Teen World Championships, in which she has been competing for the past five years.

Her two horses performed so well that they both qualified for the finals. Diesel qualified in the first round, and Reba qualified after placing first in round two for 4D. Diesel was unable to perform in the second round due to a minor injury, requiring him to rest and heal for a few days, Rodgers explained.

“In the finals, both Reba and Diesel had amazing runs. And my run [with] Diesel, even after his minor injury, won me the 3D Youth World Champion title,” Rodgers said. “I am so proud of my horses for their amazing performances. Every run we made was clean with no knocked-down barrels. I could not have asked for a better outcome from that week.”

Rodgers has been horseback riding since she was six years old. Her grandmother brought her along to watch a rodeo her friend was participating in. Rodgers had an opportunity to ride her friend’s horse. Ever since then, she had fallen in love with horseback riding and has been perfecting her skills over the past eight years.

The hardest part about riding is the pressure to perform well. That pressure makes her feel anxious before a show; yet with her father standing by her side to console her, she is able to calm herself and help her to gain focus.

She practices every week to fine-tune her riding skills. She has remained busy with bake sales to raise proceeds for her trips, and her competitions have allowed her to travel across Florida and Georgia.

“I feel like competing with riders my age or even older than my age allows us to coach each other through our runs and help each other to do better and lift each other [and] support each other,” she said. “For the most part, I am pretty confident, but I do have my doubts because not all rounds are going to be perfect.”

Rodgers was recently interviewed for the Chattin on the Ridge podcast. Listen to her full interview on the latest episode on Spotify: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/fIJoGvNo8Bb

Motorcyclist Killed On Lake Marion Creek Rd. According To Polk Sheriff’s Office

Carl Fish
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Motorcyclist Killed On Lake Marion Creek Rd. According To Polk Sheriff’s Office

A 40-year old Davenport man was killed Wednesday evening, August 9, 2023, after he lost control of his motorcycle and crashed into an oncoming vehicle.

Deputies from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to the crash at about 7:35 pm, on Lake Marion Creek Road, north of Canal Road, between Haines City and Poinciana.

The victim was transported to a local hospital by Polk County Fire Rescue, but he passed away at 9:14 pm.

The other driver, identified as 34-year old Sasha Ortega of Poinciana, suffered no injuries.

PCSO detectives from Traffic Homicide Investigations responded and began taking witness statements and examining evidence at the scene.

The preliminary investigation determined that Ms. Ortega was traveling north on Lake Marion Creek Road in a white 2021 Nissan Altima, while the victim was driving a white 2022 Harley Davidson motorcycle southbound.

Witnesses said the victim was driving at a high rate of speed as he approached the sharp curves of the road. The motorcycle slid into the northbound lane; the victim came off of the bike and went under the Nissan. He was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.

A portion of Lake Marion Creek Road was closed for about three hours.

Welcome, World Travelers! The Haunted Mansion? More Like MEH-nsion!

Staff Reporter
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Welcome, World Travelers! The Haunted Mansion? More Like MEH-nsion!

Welcome, World Travelers! The Haunted Mansion? More Like MEH-nsion!

by James Coulter

If there’s one Disney Park attraction with the potential for a good movie, it’s the Haunted Mansion. Even award-winning director Guillermo del Toro himself planned to write and direct a Haunted Mansion film, but sadly those plans never fell through. And, sadly, the only theatrical adaptation of the ride was the critically-panned 2003 live-action movie starring Eddie Murphy.

The good news is that, 20 years after that critical flop, a new live-action Haunted Mansion movie has been released. The bad news is that the film was made by the director of Dear White People and the screenwriter for Ghostbusters 2016. Yeah, it’s as appealing as it sounds! So, will this new Haunted Mansion film please 999 happy haunts with room for a thousand? Or will the chilling challenge be to find a way out of the theater?

The movie follows LaKeith Stanfield, who plays a jaded tour guide for New Orleans. He’s hired by a mother and her son to use his spectral photography to inspect a mansion that’s purportedly haunted. Turns out the haunted mansion really is haunted, and it’s up to him to round up a group of paranormal experts to unravel its haunted mystery. Will they succeed? Or will they die trying?

I’ll cut to the chase here: this movie is not good. I’ve mentioned this fact in previous reviews: the worst thing a movie can be is boring. At least bad movies have something worth talking about, while boring movies like this don’t. I kid you not when I say I am only scraping the bottom for something worth discussing about this movie because I’m being paid to do so. Otherwise, I wouldn’t even bother writing anything.

Say what you want about the 2003 film. That movie was terrible, but at least it was memorably terrible. For as poorly-cast as he was, at least Eddie Murphy had some on-screen charisma and the occasionally funny quip. At least the scenery looked appealingly creepy and somewhat fitting for a Haunted Mansion movie. At least it had some genuinely funny and creepy moments. None of that saves the film as a good movie, but at least it was so bad it’s good.

This movie, on the other hand, isn’t even that bad enough. It was just bland and unmemorable—and considering it’s based on one of the most memorable Disney attractions, that makes it a crime.

The movie has a star-studded cast of otherwise great actors like Danny DeVito, Tiffany Haddish, and Owen Wilson; but while some of their characters had good-enough performances, good enough simply wasn’t enough to justify them.

And the jokes? What jokes? The only joke I can remember that nearly got a chuckle out of me was at the very beginning. It’s when the mother is trying to console her son that the haunted looking mansion isn’t as bad as he thinks it is. Then a possessed suit of armor appears behind her with axe raised. “Nah!” she says. “We leaving.”

That’s it. That’s the only joke that works. Everything else are just the characters throwing out random dialogue at the wall to see what potential joke sticks with nothing landing. If you didn’t

tell me this movie was written by the same person who wrote Ghostbusters 2016–a movie with a running gag about wonton soup and dumplings!—I could have easily guessed.

As is fitting for a Haunted Mansion movie, there are plenty of references to the attraction; however, outside of the Hatbox Ghost, whose performance by Jared Leto (creep though he is) was the only other decent thing about this film, none of the references feel genuine and only feel tacked on to meet a checklist quote for a movie based on the attraction. The only “good” thing the movie does with the Haunted Mansion is flesh out some of the lore; unfortunately, that lore is supporting an otherwise underwhelming movie.

There are a few “creepy” movies that might frighten the little kiddies here and there, and the third act certainly goes insano bonkers enough at the very end to almost become worth the tedious trudge through the first two acts, but otherwise the movie is about as “scary” as it is “funny”—which is not as much.

Overall, it really says something when the best filmed adaptation of the Haunted Mansion stars the Muppets. I wouldn’t even recommend watching this movie on Disney Plus. Just watch the Muppet Haunted Mansion Halloween special. It’s more faithful to the ride and proves to be funnier and more heart-felled than whatever this film was trying to be.

Victory Ridge Academy Receives AED Donated by Culpepper Cardiac Foundation

Staff Reporter
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by James Coulter

With the school undergoing expansion, Victory Ridge Academy will be able to facilitate more students, which means it will need to increase measures to ensure their health and safety. Fortunately, the school is better prepared to handle emergencies now that it has received an automated external defibrillator (AED) donated to them by a local non-profit organization.

Culpepper’s Cardiac Foundation donated its 17th AED at Victory Ridge Academy, a school for children with special needs at Lake Wales. The AED was presented and installed inside the school’s cafeteria on Tuesday morning.

Victory Ridge became aware of Culpepper’s Cardiac Foundation through one of their former teachers, Raphael Martin. He is a client at Melanie’s Cutting Edge, owned and operated by Melanie Brown Culpepper, who also started the foundation. She would cut his hair when he was going through chemo, and he would share his journey with fighting cancer on Facebook.

“He [Raphael] shared his journey with her on social media, and that is how we found out about her and connected with her foundation through her Facebook work,” said Erika Timpe, Director of Therapy Services. “We are very appreciative of this donation. They have been long-time supporters of Victory Ridge Academy. The Culpepper Cardiac Foundation is a great member of our community.”

“Steve Whittaker, Executive Director of Victory Ridge, where he has been serving for 11 years, expects the AED to help his students and staff, though he hopes and prays that they will never need to use it.

“It is another tool that we can utilize on campus and visitors and anyone else in case of an emergency and help reduce potential issues,” Whittaker said. “[Culpepper’s] is a wonderful foundation that does a lot to help the community and we are appreciative of it anything we can do.”

The school already has an AED; however, with it undergoing expansion and construction, another AED will prove helpful considering the extra space and additional facilities on their campus, said Amy Brown, Principal of Victory Ridge.

“Since our school is growing and expanding, we now have more buildings on campus, and this AED will help us serve in care of an emergency,” Brown said. “They have a wonderful mission, and they are reaching people and doing amazing things for people who may not have access. We are very appreciative [of them].”

Melanie Brown Culpepper started her foundation nearly two years ago following the untimely passing of her late fiancée, Michael Culpepper, who passed away from cardiac arrest.

Since then, she has raised proceeds to install several dozen AEDs throughout the county and confer scholarships to students training as first responders.

Melanie had previously become acquainted with Victory Ridge Academy five to six years ago through its annual fundraiser, Rockin’ on the Chain. She appreciates being able to see the facility serviced through that event.

“It is an honor to be here today and meet some of the faces I met that day,” she said.

She will be hosting her annual fundraiser, Saving Lives Matter, on Sat., Sep. 16 at Tanners Lakeside in Winter Haven. She has high expectations, especially since the support of the community allows her to accomplish her mission.

“I am getting phone calls and everyone wants me to put it in their establishments and businesses and I cannot do that without funds coming in,” she said. “Without it, I could not make this happen. It is not just me doing this. This is all of us.”

For more information about Culpepper’s Cardiac Foundation, visit their website at: https://honoringculpepper.com/

Jacksonville Man Wanted For Possession Of Child Pornography Commits Suicide During SWAT Standoff

Carl Fish
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Jacksonville Man Wanted For Possession Of Child Pornography Commits Suicide During SWAT Standoff

A Jacksonville man killed himself Tuesday afternoon, August 8, 2023, concluding an armed standoff with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team that lasted more than four-and-a-half hours. 

PCSO Crisis Negotiators tried to convince 45-year old Marquis Lynn Baker to peacefully surrender while he sat in his gray 2012 Chevrolet Impala parked in a wooded area near the Christina Animal Hospital at 6800 Church Avenue North near Mulberry. 

“Our SWAT members and Crisis Negotiators have responded to armed barricaded subjects on two consecutive days. While the goal is to end these kinds of calls peacefully, the most important thing is that no deputies or innocent bystanders have been injured in either of these events—and for that, I am extremely grateful.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff.

PCSO deputies first became aware that Baker, who was wanted out of Duval County for Failure to Appear for 11-counts of Possession of Child Pornography, was in Bartow at around 10:27 am. Baker was also listed as a Missing Person based on statements he made to his defense attorney.

After locating Baker’s vehicle, deputies followed him for about five minutes until Baker turned off at the veterinarian’s office, stopped his car, and put a .40 caliber handgun to his own head.

Deputies continually communicated with Baker during the standoff trying to get him to surrender, and even provided him with a cell phone to make it easier to keep the dialogue going. 

At about 3:20 pm, Baker fired a single bullet into the left side of his head. SWAT Medics immediately began life saving measures on Baker. He was transported to a local hospital but was pronounced deceased at 3:50 pm.

JacksonNo deputies discharged their firearms.

Local Politicians Bring Home the Bacon at 41st Annual Pig Roast & Political Rally

Staff Reporter
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Local Politicians Bring Home the Bacon at 41st Annual Pig Roast & Political Rally

by James Coulter

Politicians are infamous for their pork barrel spending. But last Friday, they managed to bring home the bacon by breaking bread with their constituents during the 41st Annual Pig Roast & Political Rally in Haines City.

For the past four decades, the Pig Roast & Political Rally has remained an annual tradition where Haines City residents can mingle with local politicians and political candidates over a traditional barbecue meal.

Despite this year not being an election year, more than 250 tickets were sold, with nearly 200 attendees being able to meet and converse with half a dozen political candidates.

The Catering Co. of Central Florida served a fabulous dinner, while country band Red Hot Rooster provided live musical entertainment. Attendees were also able to win door prizes and strike a pose in a photo booth by DJ Mini C Productions.

Aside from offering an opportunity for residents to meet and know more about their local politicians, the Pig Roast & Political Rally also serves as a fundraiser for the Northeast Polk County Chamber of Commerce.

“With it being an off year, I am super excited for the attendance,” said Lana Stripling, Executive Director of the Chamber. “It is a great time for our citizens and business members to come out and talk with the candidates about their concerns and what they would like to see when they are [voted] into office…[W]e hope to raise some funds to continue to do the great work we are doing and everyone have a good time.”

Kathryn Gates-Skipper, a local Marine veteran and political figure, always loves being able to attend the annual event. She loves meeting other politicians of every stripe and enjoying a good meal in the process.

“It is always a wonderful gathering here,” she said. “[I like] to meet our candidates that run each election and for everyone to get together and break bread [and] just have a good time.”

City Commission Roy Tyler always strives to support his local chamber and to attend local events, especially a fundraiser like this that helps to promote political causes. He appreciated being able to mingle with his constituents and learn about their political concerns.

“I myself like to be familiar with my fellow servants and the people who I, too, will be making the choice of who is the best representative of doing things for our residents,” he said. “I have learned something here as well as everyone else.”

PCBA Foundation Bowl-A-Thon Builds Up Proceeds for Young Builders for 3rd Year

Staff Reporter
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PCBA Foundation Bowl-A-Thon Builds Up Proceeds for Young Builders for 3rd Year

PCBA Foundation Bowl-A-Thon Builds Up Proceeds for Young Builders for 3rd Year

by James Coulter

Jimmy Giles is the head teacher of the construction academy at Bartow High School. For 19 years, the academy has trained countless students to become future construction workers, architects, and engineers.

None of what they do would be possible without the generous support of the Polk County Builders Association (PCBA), a local non-profit association of builders and other construction workers and officials dedicated to furthering the cause of their industry, which includes supporting and financing construction academies.

Through their generous support, the academy was able to send its students to an annual construction leadership summit in Haines City and provide many graduating seniors with scholarships. Nothing they do would have been possible without the PCBA, which is why four students participated in its annual fundraiser.

Jimmy Giles and four of his academy students participated in the Annual Bowl-A-Thon, hosted at Orange Lanes in Lakeland on Friday afternoon. They were one of 19 teams that competed in this year’s annual bowling fundraiser. Aside from being able to support an organization that supports them, they loved the event for providing them with an opportunity to connect and interact with fellow builders.

“It has been unbelievable how much help they helped us. We support them because they support us,” Giles said. “It is just, they have been a great supporter to us, we just want to give back. The kids realize how valuable these contractors are, all these contractors, all the architects, and that is what they want to do for the rest of their lives. They want to be around these kinds of people.”

Their team was one of 19 that participated in the Bowl-A-Thon fundraiser. Teams could bowl for a chance to win the highest score. Furthermore, they could participate in raffles and silent auctions for dozens of prized donated by local businesses and organizations.

Proceeds from the fundraiser will go towards the PCBA general fund, which will help finance local construction academies and confer scholarships to students seeking an education in architecture and construction. Thanks to additional funds this year, they were able to give each academy $1,000 for supplies and other needs.

The PCBA is a member of the National Association of Homebuilders, whose mission, according to their website, help various groups “analyze policy issues, work toward improving the housing finance system, and analyze and forecast economic and consumer trends.”

“Dennis Sparks, PCBA General Manager, has been overseeing their fundraiser, which they host twice a year, and which has been hosted for two years (though they were unable to host it last

year due to the pandemic). The event has remained successful, not only because it offers a fun time, but also because it attracts fellow construction and architecture workers who believe in the organization’s central mission.

“Really, it is everyone being involved with the Builders Association and believing in the mission of the foundation that they are willing to come out and spend their money and support us,” he said. “We enjoy and appreciate the camaraderie with all these builders and vendors that come in and be able to hang out and enjoy each other’s company and knowing that what we are doing is supporting a good cause…We would like to be able to get big donations from the community and those willing to help the students further their careers in the trade.”

Two Lake Wales Men Killed In Separate Shootings Late Sunday Night

Staff Reporter
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Lake Wales Police and Polk County Sheriff’s Detectives are investigating two shootings that happened hours apart in the Lake Wales Housing Authority Grove Manor complex
yesterday evening leaving two men dead. The first shooting occurred around 8:00PM at 303 N. First Street Apartment B. In this
incident, officers responded to a medical call and learned a person had been shot. Witnesses told them they entered the apartment and encountered Kendrick J. Akins, who left the area shortly after they entered. The witnesses then found 23 year-old
Rhasaan Marquese Johnson inside the apartment suffering from gunshot wounds.
Johnson was transported to Advent Health Lake Wales where he was pronounced dead. Detectives began searching for Akins as a person of interest in this homicide and at approximately 11:45PM, they received a tip that he was walking near Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Sessoms Avenue. As they began searching for him, detectives heard multiple gunshots and ran toward the shooting. There, they found Akins laying on the sidewalk with multiple gunshot wounds. He died from his injures despite officer’s
attempts to render aid. Akins and Johnson were both from Lake Wales and knew each other. There is no known motive for the first homicide, but the second appears to be retaliatory. There is a $3,000.00 reward for information leading to the arrest of the suspect in the second
homicide. If you have any information regarding either of these shootings, please contact the Lake Wales Police Department at 863-678-4223. Or, if you would like to remain
anonymous and be eligible for a CASH REWARD through Heartland Crime Stoppers, call 1-800-226-TIPS (8477). You can also dial **TIPS on your cell phone or visit the website
www.heartlandcrimestoppers.com and click on “Submit a Tip” or download the free
“P3tips” app on your smartphone or tablet to submit

Armed Circle K Robbery Suspect Caught Minutes Later By Polk County Deputies

Staff Reporter
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The search for the lone suspect in an early morning armed robbery ended less than 25 minutes after Polk County Sheriff’s Office deputies were notified of the crime on Saturday, August 5, 2023.

The robbery at the Circle K store at 4980 Spirit Lake Road near Winter Haven was reported at 2:57am. Following a foot chase through residential neighborhoods, deputies apprehended the suspect, 24-year old Keith Rhoden of Winter Haven at about 3:20am. 

“The responding patrol deputies, aided by K-9 and Aviation, handled this robbery exactly how you would want them to; this was a textbook response that resulted in a dangerous criminal being taken off of the streets very quickly. Credit also goes to the victim who provided a great description of the suspect and the direction which he fled.”– Grady Judd, Sheriff

According to the arrest affidavit, Rhoden approached the Circle K employee outside of the store, pointed a handgun at him, and ordered him to take him to the cash register. 

In addition to taking money from the register, Rhoden also stole some Black & Mild cigars and a bottle of Mountain Dew before fleeing out of the store, heading north.

As deputies arrived in the area, they saw Rhoden, who was wearing black clothing and white Crocs, walking near a field north of Spirit Lake Road and Thornhill Road.

Rhoden was found by deputies hiding under a pickup truck at a residence in the Oak Preserve neighborhood, and he surrendered.

The stolen money and cigars were found in Rhoden’s possession, as well as the neon green face mask that he wore during the robbery. A handgun was recovered nearby.

Keith Rhoden was arrested and charged with: robbery with a firearm (FL), armed burglary structure (F1), and violation of probation (felony petit theft). His prior criminal history includes petit theft, resisting arrest without violence, and providing false name to a LEO. His probation for felony petit theft had just started on July 20, 2023.

There were no injuries to the victim, deputies, or the suspect.

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