County administrator Pat Bean survived her annual evaluation today with her job intact but at the end of what one commissioner called a "short rope" that could be jerked if she doesn't improve her performance. Commissioner Mark Sharpe received no support for a motion he made to fire Bean and fill her position by a coalition of her assistant county administrators until the job could be filled permanently. ...more

December 16, 2009

New county Commissioner Kevin Beckner wants to hear from his constituents directly. ...more

January 28, 2009

Well, you can stall for only so long. Come Tuesday, like it or not, you are going to have to go down to your precinct and pencil in the bubbles. ...more

November 2, 2008

The Bush administration is hammering out final details of a plan that would allow the government to inject cash into banks in exchange for ownership stakes in an effort to shore up confidence in the faltering financial system, according to officials and sources who have been in contact with the Treasury Department. ...more

October 10, 2008

By the year 2050, the population of the seven-county Tampa Bay region is expected to double to 7 million people. To protect our economic vitality, sense of community and natural resources, we have a shared responsibility to participate in shaping future growth within the region. ...more

September 8, 2008

There are so many critical issues in our country that must be expressed. We sometimes wonder if we are ever heard by our government and our official politicians? ...more

June 4, 2008

In addition to the critical national issues confronting us as citizens, and the state issues we are concerned about, there is one issue no one has even thought about yet, but which is about to occur. The Iraqi war and the national economy are the two most critical issues facing us today. Iraq, the economy and Afghanistan are still foremost in the minds of most Americans. ...more

February 20, 2008

It is indeed good that the sheriff's office created the Critical Incident Response Plan. All public schools desperately need such a program. Right here in Highlands County, several students were severely brutalized and traumatized with little follow-up. ...more

November 7, 2007