The city recently dedicated a new playground at Al Lopez Park that includes a keyboard and hopscotch area that emit sounds when stepped on - a first for parks on the East Coast, said Linda Carlo, parks and recreation department spokeswoman. ...more

November 19, 2008

Hector Sastre was walking to a store near Hillsborough and Himes avenues Monday afternoon when he heard gunfire and saw people running from a nearby laundry. ...more

November 17, 2008

Eight local agencies spent at least $175,000 this year to provide escorts, crowd control and security sweeps during campaign visits by Sen. Barack Obama, Sen. Joseph Biden, Sen. John McCain and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. The visits range from early April to Monday, when McCain spoke at Raymond James Stadium. ...more

November 6, 2008

The dueling mailers are in the mail and a relatively quiet state House District 57 race turned noisy at a luncheon Friday. ...more

November 1, 2008

Tampa led the state in hate crimes in 2007, according to reports made by 74 law enforcement agencies to the FBI. ...more

October 27, 2008

On her first day at work, Amy Hess worries that her size and shyness will hold her back. ...more

October 21, 2008

Polk deputies arrested a state Department of Corrections officer Tuesday, saying he falsely reported a crime last month involving smuggling marijuana to an inmate. ...more

October 15, 2008

Police are investigation the death of a man found in a cab behind a car rental business this morning. The body was reported to police about 7:30 a.m. in parking lot behind Hertz Rental Car, 25706 U.S. 19 in Countryside, Clearwater police spokeswoman Elizabeth Daly-Watts said. ...more

September 17, 2008

Shortly before her white 2007 Maserati was stolen from the parking lot of Blue Martini nightclub last week, a woman was kissing and caressing the suspect on the hood of the expensive Italian sports car, police say. ...more

September 16, 2008

Ten angry beer drinkers are trying to derail the largest brewery takeover in history. ...more

September 12, 2008