Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., has announced plans to introduce federal legislation to better regulate embedded giving, the fast-growing fundraising practice that involves building a gift to charity into everyday purchases. "We need to ensure that charity is not being used solely as a sales pitch," Menendez said in a statement. ...more

December 16, 2007

TAMPA - Parents, make room on those credit cards and top off that gas tank, Hannah Montana, uh, Miley Cyrus is coming back to Florida. Miami, Orlando and Jacksonville to be specific. ...more

December 13, 2007

Detectives hope surveillance video of a trip to McDonald's will lead to a couple of auto-burglary suspects. ...more

December 12, 2007

A toll system that uses cameras to photograph vehicles on the Selmon Crosstown Expressway's elevated lanes is off to a slow start, but that hasn't stopped transportation officials from moving ahead with plans to expand the system to other toll roads in Florida. ...more

December 4, 2007

There are a million reasons most twentysomethings don't put saving at the top of their lists, and many are understandable. For starters, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average college graduate has $19,000 of debt, not including credit cards. The pay at most entry-level jobs barely covers fixed expenses such as rent, insurance and utilities. And the things we typically save for - retirement, first home - seem light-years away. ...more

December 2, 2007

TAMPA - With a half-naked baby girl tucked under his arm, a "heavily intoxicated" man ran down a street right into the custody of a Hillsborough County deputy early today, an arrest report said. ...more

November 9, 2007

For shoppers without credit or those who don't want to load up their credit cards with big-ticket items during the holidays, their old friend layaway remains a financing option. ...more

November 9, 2007

A local man facing burglary charges told police that stealing from cars wasn't wrong, Tampa police say. ...more

October 23, 2007

TAMPA - A local man facing burglary charges told police that stealing from cars wasn't wrong, Tampa police say. Kevin Renaldo Mapes, 20, told an officer "that if someone is stupid enough to leave their car unlocked, it's OK to take their stuff," an arrest affidavit states. "The [defendant] stated that he lets people know he's bipolar because it helps him in court." ...more

October 22, 2007

Welcome to cash management, 2007-style. Forget the quaint notion that you should have your checking account, credit card and savings account all at the same bank. ...more

October 14, 2007