Two local needy families with children with disabilities were smiling this past holiday season as Santa Claus and his Ridge Area Arc elves delivered gifts, food and money. ...more

December 30, 2009

There was a party going down recently at the Brandon McDonald's when 31-year-old Jenny Weilbacher of Valrico celebrated her fifth anniversary of employment at the restaurant. Her parents, Kevin and Susan Weilbacher; sister, Katie Weilbacher; other family members and friends came to honor her. ...more

December 9, 2009

Have you noticed how interviews of Sarah Palin with Barbara Walters, Oprah and others have centered around her issues with her baby with Down syndrome and her pregnant unmarried daughter? Then the issue of her not-to-be son-in-law and his display of not-too-smart judgment, while modeling himself without clothing often tops the list. Let's review one of the most repeated questions asked of Palin, "What do you read?" ...more

December 1, 2009

Grocery prices Last week Publix had a particular variety of tomato on sale. The Tribune published an article on the big drop in tomato prices and included that in a story that implied Publix was paying too little for produce, causing hardship on farmworkers. ...more

October 31, 2009

Prosecutors will ask a grand jury to indict seven men for first-degree murder in the home-invasion slayings of a wealthy Panhandle Couple, a move that could allow them to seek the death penalty, a state attorney said Thursday. ...more

August 6, 2009

I'd been told my chances of having a child were slim to none due old scar tissue. So my reaction was a bit out of the norm when Dr. Poole made his surprising announcement 11 years ago. ...more

March 9, 2009

As families and advocates ask Gov. Charlie Crist to veto budget cuts affecting the developmentally disabled, lawmakers are trying to find a way to restore at least some of those dollars. ...more

January 24, 2009

Mom thinks her boy is a catch, so much so she shells out 500 bucks for an ad in The Tampa Tribune. ...more

December 15, 2008

Mom thinks her boy is a catch, so much so she shells out 500 bucks for an ad in The Tampa Tribune. "ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS … a WIFE for my SON," it begins. ...more

December 14, 2008

More than three-fourths of the 7,500 developmentally disabled people scheduled to lose benefits this month have appealed the cuts, said a spokeswoman with the state Agency for Persons with Disabilities. ...more

October 13, 2008