A delegation of Pasco County legislators and officials made a pitch to Gov. Charlie Crist on Wednesday morning to keep the Cross Bar Ranch on Florida Forever's "A" list for acquisition. ...more

January 24, 2008

Like father, like son. That was my immediate reaction to a new federal study that said more than one out of three of today's 17-year-olds won't have any money saved up once they hit retirement age in the 2050s and beyond. ...more

December 30, 2007

From "The Naked City" to "In A Lonely Place" and "Oklahoma" the Library of Congress is adding 25 more classic American films to its national registry. ...more

December 28, 2007

If you're like me, you recently received another sack of phone books at your door. I am so sick and tired of these bloody things I could scream! Within the past six months 13-plus pounds of near-useless paper has been dumped at my doorstep. We didn't ask for the phone books. We did not put out an urgent call to Verizon or AT&T to please bring us some more dead trees or child booster seats. There they were anyway waiting annoyingly on our front stoop. ...more

December 20, 2007

SEBRING — David Poteat is proud of his family's Southern heritage, and he and other local people have formed a group to research and tell stories of their Confederate roots. He also understands that some people have preconceived notions about his group that are far from the truth. Poteat is quick to point out that a new Highlands County chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans is "in no way a hate organization." In fact, the group has fought alleged hate groups in court who have used Confederate themes to spread their agenda, he adds. ...more

December 13, 2007

In a modest country home, tucked down a dirt lane far from the city bustle, Marcella O'Steen harbors a morgue of county documents, zoning maps and speech drafts. ...more

November 17, 2007

More than 40 environmental land managers, activists, public officials and others from the Tampa Bay area gathered Wednesday at Crystal Springs Preserve in southeast Pasco to discuss the future of the state's land preservation and conversation program, Florida Forever, which is to expire in 2010. ...more

November 16, 2007

How about those kids today? All they care about is music, having friends, dating and irritating us older folks. Right? Well, no, actually. And if you need proof of that, look no further than Sebring High School's Freshman Foundation. They blow those stereotypes out of the water. Spearheaded by a group of students in the Freshman Foundation, the school has taken on the task of raising $10,000 to help Ugandan children caught in a savage war that gets little media attention. They will partner with the Schools for Schools program and try to bring about change for young people thousands of miles away. After watching videos of Ugandan children caught in a conflict between government forces and a rebel group called Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), Sebring students decided to do something about it. The LRA kidnaps children to make them soldiers and sex slaves. It has totally disrupted any semblance of normal life for young people there. But most of us have never heard of such a problem because it's lost in coverage of Iraq and Darfur. ...more

November 9, 2007

It all started when I began bringing my daughter to day care every morning. I would always pack her lunch box with a freshly cooked breakfast, (wheat-free, seven-grain cereal with coconut milk or hard boiled eggs) and nutrient-packed snacks, (apples and cheese, bananas with almonds, organic yogurt). To my dismay, I would continually see her precious classmates starting their day with Pop-Tarts, donuts or muffins along with chocolate milk or sugary fruit juice for breakfast - foods devoid of nutrients whatsoever! ...more

November 9, 2007

Republican presidential hopefuls Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani quarreled over tax and spending cuts Tuesday, each claiming greater commitment than the other in a debate in the nation's struggling manufacturing heartland. ...more

October 10, 2007