Cars were streaming out of the dusty grounds of the Florida Frontiersmen in Homeland when first-time visitor Bobbi Dugas of Brandon arrived Jan. 23 at the 2009 Alafia River Rendezvous, a pre-1840s re-enactment. ...more

February 25, 2009

A hillside school where roughly 500 students crowded into several floors collapsed during classes on Friday, killing at least 30 people and injuring many more. Rescuers used bare hands to pull bleeding students from the wreckage. ...more

November 8, 2008

It took nearly four hours to contain a blaze that destroyed a 56-foot wooden boat at Demen's Landing, said Lt. Joel Granata of St. Petersburg Fire and Rescue. ...more

October 20, 2008

My earliest days are saturated with memories of cackling chickens. In 1951, my father bought a farm near Wood River, Ill. He kept his job as a laborer for the Shell Oil Refinery, but he built a chicken coop and raised a colony of Plymouth Rocks, Rhode Island Reds and Leghorns. ...more

October 13, 2008

In a gesture of brotherly love, United Methodist churches in the South Shore area have begun a project to help an ailing sister church and the community surrounding it. ...more

September 22, 2008

In a gesture of brotherly love, the United Methodist churches in South Shore have begun a project to help an ailing sister church and partner with the community surrounding it. ...more

September 17, 2008

SEBRING –– Idea people are always energizing. Often praised by progressives and sometimes reviled by the status quo, they are exciting to be around regardless of your opinion. Ken Melvin is civic minded, always attending county meetings. He describes himself as a bull in a china shop and an eccentric. His home on Mi-La-Kee Avenue with its underwater mural airbrushed by artist Bruce Maltz is an example. Previously, Melvin was involved with recycling and demolition. Now his dream is to create a citizens' committee putting together a group of business people, newcomers and retired people. Last week he got appointed to a citizens committee, looking into an action plan to reopen Lake Denton. He wants to encourage anyone with positive ideas for government so money and taxes can be saved and positive plans made for the future. ...more

September 10, 2007