After losing a lot of weight, Dave Dawes warned his brother, Steve, that he may not look like the same guy when they met at the airport. The last time they had seen each other, Dave tipped the scales at about 300 pounds. So as a 150-pound version of Dave waited for his brother by the trams at Tampa International Airport, it's no wonder Steve walked right past him. ...more

February 2, 2008

We early "snowbirds" arrived during the months of October, November and December. We anticipated the many craft fairs prior to Christmas, as in years past. ...more

January 23, 2008

TAMPA A 37-year-old man posing as a landlord pleaded guilty in federal court to stealing more than $40,000 in grant money from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. ...more

January 17, 2008

When I was a child, Christmas at our house revolved around the tree. It wasn't Christmas until the tree went up, and the holidays were not over till the tree came down. In that respect, not much has changed; the tree is still the focal point of our holiday trimmings. But these days it fights for attention with one other decoration that is slowly taking over the spotlight, and my living room – my Dickens Village. What started in 1995 with just one little ceramic house, The Old Curiosity Shop, has grown into an entire Victorian town. The display now has 12 buildings, including some with moving parts. All of them are lighted and one even plays music. The village also has 10 trees, a road, a bridge, and a town square complete with mailbox, stone fences and a dozen different sets of tiny Victorian people doing everything from selling newspapers to lighting the street lamps and peeking in windows. My village grows every year, because friends and family are continually buying new pieces for it. They know that village "stuff" is a gift I'll always love. ...more

December 30, 2007

Even in death, Chet Fitch is a card. Fitch, known for his sense of humor, died in October at age 88 but gave his friends and family a start recently: Christmas cards, 34 of them, began arriving - written in his hand with a return address of "Heaven." ...more

December 26, 2007

Holiday greetings can be as personal as the sender wants, if they opt for creating their own cards. ...more

December 11, 2007

TAMPA - Until July, Nathen Trueblood was a regular 2-year-old boy. He loved Curious George, playing with his sisters and tinkering with grownups' cell phones. ...more

December 2, 2007

The Manatee County Sheriff's Office is looking for three teenagers who may have killed a 58-year-old man on his birthday. ...more

October 8, 2007

WEEKI WACHEE – Friends and family are mourning a 34-year-old woman who apparently drowned Sunday afternoon. Kimberly Klopp of Kosimo Road in New Port Richey was seen floating down the Weekiwachee River singing to herself, the Hernando County Sheriff's Office reported. ...more

September 24, 2007

CLEARWATER - A man who was thrown off a third-floor breezeway at a Clearwarter hotel by his brother-in-law Sept. 12 has died. William Donahue, 21, of Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, is now facing second-degree murder charges. ...more

September 16, 2007