At the corner of East 26th Avenue and North Garrison Street in the Grant Park neighborhood, Carla Wilson doesn't like what she sees. Across the street, the vacant house in foreclosure is going downhill fast. ...more

December 18, 2009

Two suspects in a string of Manatee County burglaries have been detained, but two others remain on the loose following a high-speed chase today, troopers say. ...more

October 6, 2009

If you are old enough to recall 1968 you remember that by the time we reached Christmas Eve, we almost were relieved the year was staggering to an end. ...more

December 24, 2008

At moments like this, it's worth remembering that Illinois gave us both Abraham Lincoln and Al Capone. Plainly, some sort of karmic balance controls the destiny of that heartland state. For every inspiring leader that Illinois produces, it must also turn out a scoundrel or two - petty thieves in governmental office, egomaniacal monsters in corporate suites - who share an indifference to the idea of a public trust. ...more

December 11, 2008

It wasn't exactly Barack Obama at Grant Park, but observers agreed Tuesday's swearing-in of Kevin Beckner as Hillsborough County's first openly gay commissioner was historic. ...more

November 19, 2008

It wasn't exactly Obama at Grant Park, but observers agreed Tuesday's swearing in of Kevin Beckner as Hillsborough County's first openly gay county commissioner was historic and precedent-setting. ...more

November 18, 2008

I usually hear from my distant cousin in Italy at Christmastime. The day after the election, though, an e-mail popped up. ...more

November 16, 2008

SEBRING Humberto Ramirez's jubilation ended and sleep began around 12:30 Wednesday morning, shortly following president-elect Barack Obama's televised victory speech. ...more

November 6, 2008

His storied election behind him and weighty problems in his face, Barack Obama turned Wednesday to the task of building an administration in times of crisis as Americans and the world absorbed his history-shattering achievement as the first black leader ascending to the presidency. ...more

November 5, 2008

Americans wept tears of joy. They photographed their ballots to capture the moment. And in what could be historic numbers, they waited in line to make history. ...more

November 5, 2008