County commissioners today delayed until Monday any action on their revised deal with the companies building the eastern extension of State Road 56. The road builders requested the delay Tuesday to work out final details of the deal with county staffers, said David Evans, president of Locust Branch LLC, one of the three companies involved in the road project. The developers of Wiregrass Ranch, the Shops at Wiregrass mall and the Meadow Pointe IV Community Development District are working together to build the six-lane extension of S.R. 56 east of Bruce B. Downs Boulevard. The first leg of the new road is set to open in October to provide access to the mall. Over the following months, crews will extend the road to Mansfield Boulevard and, by early 2010, to Meadow Pointe Boulevard, according to the pending deal with the county. The developers of Wiregrass Ranch were forced to rewrite their S.R. 56 deal with the county after Pulte Home Corp. pulled out last summer as the primary developer for the 5,000-acre ranch at the heart of Wesley Chapel. ...more

September 2, 2008

Patricia Austin's friends affectionately call her "Lady Pitbull." "I guess that's because once I grab hold of something, I don't let go," said Austin, a lifelong Avon Park resident. "I was brought up to stand up and fight for what you believe in. ...more

September 1, 2008

I want to alert any AARP members to check any bills they get in the mail. Make sure you haven't paid them already. ...more

August 16, 2008

Heart of Highland Show Chorus recently presented the Sweet Adeline of the Year Award to Barbara Kuiper, a lead in the chorus. ...more

August 15, 2008

CVS won't be able to sell alcohol at the store it plans to build in the heart of Meadow Pointe. ...more

August 13, 2008

I was barbecuing a couple of pork shoulders for guests my wife and I had over for dinner a few weeks ago. I smoked the two chunks of pork over temperatures in the 200-degree range for almost 24 hours with plenty of sweet hardwood smoke. The shoulder blade slipped right out of the meat. ...more

July 29, 2008

The head of a prominent cancer research institute issued an unprecedented warning to his faculty and staff Wednesday: Limit cell phone use because of the possible risk of cancer. ...more

July 24, 2008

Everyone gets the blues now and then. But for many local residents and musicians, it happens like clockwork - every Tuesday night in the heart of Brandon. ...more

July 15, 2008

The Sebring All-Stars ran into a slew of solid pitching, a load of tough defense, and a bit of bad luck this weekend at the Dixie Youth Pre-Majors (ages 15-16) state tournament. ...more

July 14, 2008

Alonso got its first A, and Chamberlain and Leto high schools pulled themselves up from D's in the most recent release of school grades. ...more

July 12, 2008