Teenagers fill the room, talking teen talk among themselves, listening to music and sipping soft drinks. To Mona Giordano, this teen activity represents the work of the Lord. "It's a church cleverly disguised as a coffee shop," she says about the Coffee Spot House of Praise in Holiday. "It's church unusual." She and husband Peter fulfilled their long-held dream of having a different kind of church when they opened the Coffee Spot in December 2006. They envisioned working with other churches in providing safe, informal settings for teens and adults, both believers and nonbelievers. ...more

February 18, 2009

I've just lived through one of the most frustrating weeks of my life. It felt like I spent the entire seven days doing just one thing – waiting. I hate waiting. I waited for phone calls that never came, for mail that didn't arrive, and for a repairman who never showed. I waited in the doctor's office and the post office and the coffee shop. I waited in a checkout line so long I finally had to give up and go back to work without my0 lunch. On the job, it seemed every assignment I tackled could not be completed without waiting for someone else to do his part first, which, of course, he (or she) never did. I sent polite e-mail reminders, and waited some more. I made phone calls and was put on hold. Several times I waited till the phone grew permanently attached to my ear, only to be told he'd call me back. But he didn't. ...more

February 15, 2009

Jeffrey Gordon Merritt used a lunch bag and a BB pistol he bought for $30 from Wal-Mart to rob four banks in four months."Let's just get this over with," he told a teller at Andersen Bank in Palm Harbor on Sept. 16. ...more

January 29, 2009

The question remains one of the most revealing in American history: What were you doing when you heard about Pearl Harbor? The answers tell us much about Tampa more than 67 years ago. ...more

January 18, 2009

When the economy gets tough, people are less likely to get their hair styled. ...more

December 9, 2008

Jeffrey Gordon Merritt, who officials said was captured fleeing a bank robbery in Lithia last month, was indicted today on four federal bank robbery charges. ...more

November 18, 2008

Jennifer Halkias was driving along Alt. 19 to the Sponge Docks when she saw a sign announcing Eco Bean Organic Coffee House. She just had to stop in. Rachel and husband David Gause opened the coffee house this summer. It had previously been known as the Lighthouse. ...more

November 8, 2008

The city's new grant program designed to bring more business downtown is drawing criticism about its fairness and timing. ...more

November 1, 2008

ST. PETE BEACH - The idea of having a stroke never crossed my mind two years ago, as I hurried to put away supplies in my new dream-come-true coffee shop. ...more

September 21, 2008

I was given a small, bentwood rocking chair. It has a stamped mark under the seat that I cannot make out. I had planned to clean it, but was advised not to. I would like to know who made it, its age and its value. ...more

September 4, 2008