The Tampa Tribune's West Waters Avenue news bureau has closed. But that doesn't mean you'll no longer get the community news you've come to expect. ...more

May 13, 2009

More Getting Free Lunch The percentage of Pasco County students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals is on the rise and expected to top 50 percent by the end of February. ...more

January 18, 2009

Former Zephyrhills Police Chief Russell Barnes, who resigned amid a payroll scandal in August, has applied for a job as a patrol deputy with the Pasco County Sheriff's Office. ...more

January 15, 2009

Former Zephyrhills Police Chief Russell Barnes, who resigned amid a payroll scandal in August, has applied for a job as a patrol deputy with the Pasco County Sheriff's Office. Barnes, 56, applied online for the job in December. "We don't comment on applicants," sheriff's spokesman Kevin Doll said. Barnes did not return a message seeking comment. He resigned from the Zephyrhills force in August, about an hour before the city council was to decide whether to fire him. He was hired in November 2003. ...more

January 14, 2009

A law firm representing a former city police officer is threatening to sue the city for more than $200,000 because officials have not rehired or reinstated him. ...more

December 24, 2008

A law firm representing a former city police officer is threatening to sue the city for more than $200,000 because officials have not rehired or reinstated him. Kenneth Fong, whose allegations of payroll discrepancies ignited a scandal that led to the resignation of former police Chief Russell Barnes in August, is seeking lost pay and compensatory damages from the city, according to a letter sent to City Manager Steve Spina. Tampa attorney Steven G. Wenzel also asserts in the letter that Fong was not reinstated or rehired by the department as retaliation for whistle-blowing activities that led to Barnes' resignation, the reassignment of a city detective and embarrassment to city officials. By Wenzel's calculations, the city should pay "well in excess of $200,000," even if Fong is reinstated as a police officer ...more

December 22, 2008

Another police officer was paid for hours he spent teaching at Pasco Hernando Community College, according to a city investigation released Tuesday. ...more

September 17, 2008

Kenneth Fong, whose complaints about payroll discrepancies led to last month's resignation of Zephyrhills police Chief Russell Barnes, will not be rejoining the Zephyrhills Police Department. ...more

September 13, 2008

If his self-evaluation is any indication, City Manager Steve Spina is not expecting a great review this year. ...more

September 10, 2008

Kenneth Fong, a former city policeman whose complaints about payroll discrepancies within the Zephyrhills Police Department led to last month's resignation of police Chief Russell Barnes, wants his job back. ...more

September 6, 2008