After hundreds of veterans' claims documents were found recently in paper bins, waiting to be shredded, the federal Department of Veterans Affairs is considering widespread changes to its policies to better protect VA records. ...more

November 4, 2008

SEBRING -- Penne Manar says she still gets goose bumps when she recalls how, seven years ago, she came to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity of Highlands County. She balked at a friend's invitation to join this non-profit, Christian faith-based organization that helps hard working people work and save their way into a new home that otherwise would be unreachable. Nearing the end of two years as volunteer president of the Florida Hospital Auxiliary, Manar worried that joining another service organization would stretch her time and energy too thin. But she accepted an invitation to attend a Habitat home dedication. Manar watched as a single mother with three young children, having saved the down payment and completed her 400 hours of "sweat equity" work, was given a Bible and house keys and became a first-time homeowner. ...more

October 19, 2008