As veteran observers of Pasco County government know, June 1 often heralds the arrival of not only the Atlantic hurricane season but something else likely to get things stirring: the release of the annual Sheriff's Office budget proposal. Regardless of who is sheriff or his or her party affiliation, the county's top law enforcement official has almost without fail wanted more money than the County Commission wants to give the office. ...more

June 4, 2008

Profits from government-sponsored mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, instead of taxpayers, would back up a home loan rescue for up to 500,000 strapped borrowers under a plan approved by a key Senate committee Tuesday to pull the nation out of a housing crisis. ...more

May 21, 2008

No one likes them. And no one wants to be accused of defending them. But state Sen. Dave Aronberg figured that even the most vilified members of society shouldn't be living under bridges, as a group of Miami sex offenders was doing last year because strict local laws eliminated almost all housing options for them. ...more

May 12, 2008

Memorial Day is upon us again, while our American troops wage war on two fronts. We live in strange times here in the United States. ...more

May 9, 2008

Comic and political pundit Bill Maher takes the stage at Ruth Eckerd Hall on Saturday night fresh off a controversy involving things he said about the pope and just ahead of a summer film that takes on religious beliefs in general. ...more

May 8, 2008

President Bush and Congress are clashing over how to address the housing crisis, clouding the prospects of an election-year rescue package. ...more

May 8, 2008

Voter excitement, always increased by a presidential election, is pushing registration through the roof so far this year, with more than 3.5 million people rushing to join in the historic balloting, according to an Associated Press survey that offers the first national snapshot. ...more

May 6, 2008

For the first time since 1984, Democrats have edged past Republicans in voter registration in Pinellas County, considered by some to be the birthplace of the Florida Republican Party. ...more

May 3, 2008

Gov. Charlie Crist has an idea for making health care insurance more affordable. The job, however, is more than a state can handle on its own. ...more

February 23, 2008

Democrats nationwide are worried that the nearly tied nomination battle between Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama is headed for a disputed outcome, threatening their chances to win November's election. ...more

February 16, 2008