Years ago, during his impeachment, then-President Bill Clinton made the ridiculous statement, "it depends on what your definition of is is." The Democrats now bring the word "how" to the forefront. ...more

December 27, 2009

Americans, it appears, will have health care reform whether we want it or not. And most of us don't want it, polls show. That doesn't seem to matter to Congress, which in a frenzy of deal-making came up with a near-incomprehensible mess of proposed changes to a health-care system that serves most people well. ...more

December 27, 2009

The Senate voted Thursday to reinvent the nation's health care system, passing a bill to guarantee access to health insurance for tens of millions of Americans and to rein in health costs. ...more

December 25, 2009

Senate Democrats passed a landmark health care bill in a climactic Christmas Eve vote that could define President Barack Obama's legacy and usher in near-universal medical coverage for the first time in U.S. history. The 60-39 vote on a cold Christmas Eve morning capped months of arduous negotiations and 24 days of floor debate. It also followed a succession of failures by past congresses to get to this point. Vice President Joe Biden presided as 58 Democrats and two independents voted "yes." Republicans unanimously voted "no." ...more

December 24, 2009

The Tampa area's unemployment rate hit 12.3 percent in November, giving it the highest jobless rate among Florida's big metropolitan areas. ...more

December 19, 2009

A contingent from Zephyrhills traveled to Tallahassee on Tuesday to meet with state transportation secretary Stephanie Kopelousos. ...more

December 9, 2009

But gives back $2 million to county. ...more

December 4, 2009

Moderate Senate Democrats threatened today to scuttle health-care legislation if their demands aren't met, while more liberal members warned their party leaders not to bend. ...more

November 22, 2009

Democratic leaders in the Senate unveiled their proposal Wednesday for overhauling the health care system, outlining legislation that they said would cover most of the uninsured while reducing the federal budget deficit. ...more

November 19, 2009

Hillsborough County commissioners agreed Nov. 4 to award the first phase of the Bruce B. Downs Boulevard widening project to a company that submitted a bid $31 million less than the county's estimated cost. ...more

November 13, 2009