I am so saddened by an article I read today on the front page of the Lake Placid Journal. It tells of a recent "Candy Day" fundraiser held by the Lake Placid Lions Club. Seventy- year-old Lion Miles Lambert, who was born and raised in Lake Placid, and who at the young age of 18 years old first became one of the Lake Placid Lions Club's first members, was arrested, being charged with a misdemeanor for attempting to raise money for the blind and deaf by standing on the sidewalk of the Lake Placid Post Office. After 52 years of giving so much of his time and efforts in the attempt to raise money for those people in our county who so desperately need help with vision and hearing problems, it is unbelievable that our sweet little town has now been infiltrated by someone in such need of standing up to "The Rules" in lieu of someone else's pain. In this day, when so many folks are out of jobs, whose children desperately need glasses that they can't afford, one would certainly admire someone who is giving of his time and efforts to try and help. ...more

December 29, 2009

Red-light cameras Having driven in the Middle East (Doha, Qatar) with red-light and speed cameras, I witnessed more accidents than they prevented, and there were more violent crashes. Drivers slamming their brakes to minimize tickets were very common and did not subside with education. Drivers just worked around them. ...more

November 10, 2009

It's impossible to criticize parents who want to watch their children perform in school activities. It's not so difficult if these same parents have little or no interest in how their children do in the classroom. It's clear, though, that our local schools have a problem, and it has more to do with parents than kids. ...more

November 8, 2009

They say talk is cheap. I say that depends on who is doing the talking. Today's scheduled talking is supposed to take place in the great chamber of the Hillsborough Board of County Commissioners. That ought to make all of us nervous. The board is going to be talking about what ultimately will be a project costing billions of dollars. YOUR dollars. ...more

November 4, 2009

The drive to qualify for the state swim meet begins this week. Local schools recently had a good warm-up meet in the form of the Western Conference championships, held Oct. 17 at the Bobby Hicks Pool in South Tampa. All 26 of Hillsborough County's public high schools had their teams on hand. ...more

October 28, 2009

Frankie Jackson was all smiles late Tuesday morning while waiting for his swine flu shot. ...more

October 21, 2009

Students head back to school this month, and that means it's time to start shopping for school supplies. ...more

August 19, 2009

The school bell rings for most students in a few weeks meaning it's time to get ready for another year of classes, practices, after-school activities, bus stop runs and carpools. ...more

August 3, 2009

On Aug. 17, school bus schedules will be posted at the local schools and on the Highlands County School District Web site: www.highlands.k12.fl.us/transportation.html#bus. ...more

August 2, 2009

A citizens panel that advises the Hillsborough County School Board recently weighed the district's proposed budget cuts - and came up with some ideas of its own. ...more

March 25, 2009