On Sunday, the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season came to a soggy end. Although this year's season was one of the deadliest on record, most of the death and destruction was visited on islands in the Caribbean. That doesn't make that toll any less horrible. As a practical matter, however, the fact that no major hurricane hit Florida for a second straight year was a good thing for Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and the Legislature. ...more

December 3, 2008

The 2008 hurricane season ends today and passes with barely a notice in Florida. Residents of Texas and islands in the Caribbean Sea have a different view. ...more

November 30, 2008

The 2008 hurricane season ends Sunday and will pass with barely a notice in Florida. Residents of Texas and islands in the Caribbean Sea, however, would have a different view of this year's season. For the third year in a row, Florida escaped a hurricane. Only Tropical Storm Fay hit – again and again – though West Central Florida saw little of the torrential rain Fay hosed on the rest of the state. ...more

November 28, 2008

So long, bulky passport book. Hello, plastic card. For U.S. citizens hopping on cruise ships to the Caribbean or crossing to Canada or Mexico by car, the State Department has introduced a wallet-sized swipe-y card that costs less than half the price of the traditional passport. ...more

June 13, 2008