With all the news media completely focused on the presidential elections and the weather, it seems no one is remembering we are at war. Our young men and women are fighting in several far away places in extreme heat and under extreme conditions. ...more

August 31, 2008

Floridians who have been here a few years remember too well the hurricane season of 2004. Camping in our own sweltering homes without power and often without water left a lasting memory of that time. That's why so many people knew the routine when Tropical Storm Fay threatened this week. It's also why it appeared to some who weren't here in 2004 that many of us overdid the storm preparation. We're glad we did. ...more

August 22, 2008

The storm has passed, leaving behind some streets that are flooded, but passable in a pickup or sports-utility vehicle. A couple of kids splashed around in what yesterday was an open, grassy lot, now filled with about 2 feet of water. ...more

August 19, 2008

Every February, Carnival in Trinidad is a celebration that blows the beads off Mardi Gras in New Orleans and rivals Carnaval in Rio. ...more

August 7, 2008

House one, house two, house three. Those choices are familiar to fans of "House Hunters," a popular show on HGTV, a cable television network that focuses on house and garden matters. The show follows people in various cities and even in other countries as they visit three houses on their house hunting search. ...more

July 30, 2008

The media is watching this weekend as likely Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama is off in Europe and the Middle East, hoping to impress the locals and build up some kind of resume on one of those "If-It's-Tuesday-It-Must-Be-Baghdad" junkets. ...more

July 20, 2008

Helping Those At Risk Regarding "Region Needs To Wake Up To Teen Sex Trafficking" (Our Opinion, July 13): ...more

July 20, 2008

As I ride along U.S. 27, I look out on Lake Jackson. As I look past the weeds, where there is sand, I notice people out there with chairs, coolers and some of them who can get their boats afloat, boats. Where there is sand and water people tend to go to the beach, have fun, swim, relax and just have a good time. I further notice that none of them choose to sit in the weeds. It's still unimaginable that we spent over $70,000 to remove some of the weeds from the dry lake bed, and maintain the so called "native" weeds. Weeds are unsightly. Weeds are weeds. A weed by any other name is still a weed. We pick them from our lawns and flower beds. We poison them to get rid of them. But then along comes someone with a grant to grow them. Who decides that we should have weeds growing where there will again someday be a lake? We don't need to cultivate weeds where there should, and eventually will be, water. Something for boat props to get tangled in. Now I've noticed that we are maintaining the weeds. We are mowing weeds in a lake bed. I wonder how much that is costing and who is paying that bill? ...more

July 3, 2008

I don't think the Rays are being reasonable to expect the city of St. Petersburg to wait until 2010 for a vote on the new stadium at the current sight. Do they think the city is just going to leave that valuable land vacant for the next two years? It is clear the city and its residents want the waterfront used for something else. ...more

June 26, 2008

There was a bit of confusion when some locals glanced at the seal on the Central High School diploma and medallion that seniors received for graduation. ...more

June 14, 2008