As an aspiring fashion designer in the 1980s, Sonia Grays dealt with lots of rejection. ...more

May 18, 2008

It would have been understandable if Luis Gonzalez had called it a career. He had 18 big-league seasons in his rear-view mirror and there was basically nothing left he hadn't accomplished. He has a World Series ring and a place in the record books. ...more

February 8, 2008

During a murky, multilingual news conference held at noon in the front yard of a house across the street from the Lakeland Regional Medical Center, William McBride of Orlando introduced three men he said were injured in the crash on Interstate 4 on Wednesday. ...more

January 11, 2008

First University Seventh-day Adventist Church has opened a new worship center. ...more

December 17, 2007

A family-owned restaurant known for its community outreach and festive atmosphere took on a somber air last week after burglars stole some $20,000 in electronics, food and beer. ...more

December 10, 2007

A church with two congregations has grown from a handful of people who preached the Gospel on the streets. The First University Seventh-day Adventist Church last week celebrated the grand opening of a worship center at 2225 E. 109th Ave. in North Tampa. ...more

December 9, 2007

Garcia and Rodriguez - are among the top 10 most common in the nation, and Martinez nearly edged out Wilson for 10th place. ...more

November 17, 2007

AVON PARK — It has been more than a year since then-mayor Tom Macklin brought up an ordinance to penalize landlords for renting to illegal immigrants. Though it failed in June 2006, it mobilized several businesses and most of the Hispanic community, and for better or worse, it changed many residents' views of their city and the actions of City Hall, even to this day. "They're (the customers) more careful now, because they know they're after them," said Angel Del Valle, who worked at the Broken Spoke Flea Market during the unfolding controversy last year. He now owns the store, and had several Hispanic customers browsing the shelves when interviewed Wednesday afternoon. "They try not to be too obvious." Though Macklin was the mayor of Avon Park for six years, most people only remember him for his final months, when he brought the Illegal Immigration Relief Act to the council chambers. He earned a large group of detractors, but also earned the support of those like James Geer, who wrote in a 2006 letter to the editor that "the federal government is not doing its job." ...more

November 4, 2007

Monica Sleeter learned to speak English at age 9 in the suburbs of New Orleans. Her family emigrated from Colombia, and she was nervous in her new country. ...more

November 1, 2007

For nearly a decade, Republican presidential candidates have counted on Florida's Cuban-American community to win the state and, with it, the presidency. ...more

September 8, 2007