Nick Barnett was devastated when he heard about the traffic deaths of two close friends this month. He left work to spend a few hours with their families. Then he went to the tattoo parlor. Barnett, an 18-year-old Bloomingdale High graduate, became part of a growing number of young people who are memorializing lost friends and family in permanent body ink. Teens and young adults mostly are the ones doing this, tattoo artists say. ...more

August 28, 2008

It has been a tough four months for Gulf offensive coordinator Brian Wright. ...more

August 15, 2008

As they stepped on the 3-meter springboard for their sixth and final dive of the men's synchronized event at the Beijing Games, Brandon's Chris Colwill and Boca Raton's Jevon Tarantino told one another to "just have fun." ...more

August 14, 2008

Anthony Williams is approaching the biggest decision of his young life. The standout receiver and rising senior at Chamberlain has received eight scholarship offers and in the upcoming months, will have to decide where he will play football at the next level. But he will consider more than which institution has the best facilities or which can guarantee playing time. ...more

August 5, 2008

Dear Abby: I'm a 30-year-old woman who has battled compulsive eating and binge eating since my teens. (Yes, I still have a weight problem.) I see a counselor and am trying to find solutions that work for me. ...more

August 3, 2008

Luella McAdoo, the 68-year-old woman accused of forcing a mentally disabled man to perform oral sex on her, was released on her own recognizance Friday. ...more

July 19, 2008

Luella McAdoo, the 68-year-old woman accused of forcing a 34-year-old mentally retarded man to perform oral sex on her, was released on her own recognizance this morning by Hillsborough County Circuit Court Judge Walter Heinrich. ...more

July 18, 2008

Joey Chestnut, 24, set a world record by devouring 66 hot dogs in 12 minutes during Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest last year and recently answered five questions about the growing popularity of competitive eating. ...more

July 3, 2008

Carl Cool running for county commission is the biggest joke since WMD. The good old boys are at work again! Cool stated his decision was based on advice from close friends and prayers. Close friends being the present commission-less Barbara Stewart, and the prayers of the commissioners hoping the good old boys are not caught with their hands in the cookie jar again. Barbara Stewart has been a thorn in the side of the present county commission for the last four years because she has the grit to ask questions and go against the grain of the good old boys. This is the reason they would like to get rid of her. ...more

June 13, 2008

SEBRING — Carl Cool ended more than six months of speculation about whether he would run for the Highlands County Commission seat held by incumbent Republican Barbara Stewart. On Tuesday, Cool, the former chief executive officer of county government for 17 years, announced that he will run for county commissioner. Both Cool and Stewart live in the Avon Park county commission district. They will have their electoral contest decided on Aug. 26, when voters pick between them in the Republican primary election. The winner then would go against a Democrat and possibly independent candidates in the November general election. Cool said he relied on close friends and prayers to make his decision to run for political office for the first time in his life. ...more

June 10, 2008