AVON PARK — Connie Hodge and her kids expected her son Jeffrey Porter II to "fly over" any minute Monday afternoon. At 12:45, Porter's half-brother, Marc Hodge, got a text message from him. "He's in Lake Wales, he's on his way," he shouted from his car as he sat there. Only 15 minutes later, a large, green MH-53/J Pave Low armored helicopter came from the north, swooped down low and circled the family's Pleasant Street home. ...more

May 5, 2008

The ordination of David Koehler brought together the past leaders of The Presbyterian Church of Seven Springs last month. ...more

February 16, 2008

Tom Petty didn't sing a single note. His Heartbreakers didn't strike a single chord. Not so much as a rim shot was heard Thursday from the band that will perform during the halftime show at this year's Super Bowl. ...more

February 1, 2008

Peter Mohan traces the path from the Iraqi battlefield to this lifeless conference room, where he sits in a kilt and a Camp Kill Yourself T-shirt and calmly describes how he became a sad cliche: a homeless veteran. ...more

January 20, 2008

It took a happy homecoming for the Lightning to overcome their road woes Tuesday night. ...more

December 12, 2007

A recent letter to the editor describing some inexcusable acts of disrespect to the flag at the Highlands County Art Festival motivated me to reread a recent book titled "Flags of our Fathers," which was written about the raising of our flag during the battle for Iwo Jima, by five Marines and a sailor –– an event which is memorialized by the Marine Corps Memorial in Washington D.C. Iwo Jima is a small island in the Pacific, whose war time importance was its small airstrip, which the military desired to assist in our air attacks against Japan. The military desired it, the Marines took it, took it with a loss of 6,825 Marines killed. ...more

December 10, 2007

Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto ventured into Pakistan's conservative Pashtun heartland Saturday to launch her election campaign, urging resistance against militancy in a main base of pro-Taliban insurgents. ...more

December 2, 2007

Police clashed violently with supporters of the opposition leader Benazir Bhutto on Wednesday after she announced that her party would carry out a mass demonstration Friday and a protest march next week if the president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, refuses to end emergency rule. ...more

November 8, 2007

The Passing Of A Queen Charlotte Rosenberg left a mark on Plant City. She was the first queen of the Florida Strawberry Festival in 1930. And with her passing last month, Plant City loses "a part of history," says Patsy Brooks, general manager of the festival. "It's the passing of an era." ...more

November 4, 2007

THE DIFFERENCE: Mulberry QB Steven Willis attempted only four passes in the first half, three of which were completed and two of which went for TDs (62, 63 yards). He finished 5-for-6 for 147 yards passing. ...more

November 3, 2007