"He was really the great chronicler of his time, the champion of personal reportage. His vaunted life as a public figure may have actually impeded serious critical attention to much of his work. Presumably, it will be possible now." Author E.L. Doctorow "When you talk of Norman Mailer, right away I see van Gogh's work boots. Norman was a working man. Lord, did he work. From one end of his life to the other, he sat in solemn thought and left so much to read, so many pages with ideas that come at you like sparks spitting from a fire." Jimmy Breslin, author and Mailer's running mate in 1969 New York City mayor's race "He'd go anywhere and try anything. He was a courageous person, a great person, fully confident, with a great sense of optimism." Author Gay Talese "It is a giant of American literature who has disappeared." French President Nicolas Sarkozy ...more

November 11, 2007

The way the players tell it, they don't seek the information out; it comes to them. ...more

November 10, 2007

General Motors posted a company record $39 billion loss Wednesday for the third quarter, as a charge involving unused tax credits brought an abrupt end to a string of three profitable quarters for the nation's largest automaker. ...more

November 8, 2007

This year the University of South Florida women's basketball team enters a new era: A.D. ...more

November 4, 2007

A lot rides on the success of Highlands County's asphalt plant, expected to go on line in May. We're not just talking of the money involved or the cynical "I told you so" that asphalt contractors are hoping to throw at the county should the project fail. ...more

October 29, 2007

SEBRING –– There is both good and disappointing news regarding the condition of the 1,200 miles of roads maintained by Highlands County. First, the good news. The county will resurface 25 miles of roadways, eight more than last year, in the new fiscal year, which began Oct. 1. The disappointing news: At least 30 miles, and preferably 40 miles, should be resurfaced each year to keep the county road system in top shape, according to Brian Miller, the county's road construction inspector. There is also hope for expanding county road maintenance in future years, if Ken Wheeler's optimism about the county's asphalt plant bears out. In May, Highlands County is scheduled to open the state's first government owned asphalt plant at the county landfill. Wheeler, the county's director of solid waste, has predicted a cost of $69 per ton for paving with asphalt from that plant, $13 per ton less than the county's current contract price of $82 per ton. ...more

October 29, 2007

The House and Senate, although still at odds over property tax relief, will reconvene a special session Monday, just one day before the deadline to get a proposal on the Jan. 29 presidential primary ballot. ...more

October 28, 2007

There wasn't much for Mitchell girls golf coach Joe Castellano to be unhappy about Monday. ...more

October 24, 2007

October is on course to record the second consecutive decline in U.S. military and Iraqi civilian deaths and U.S. commanders say they know why: the U.S. troop increase and an Iraqi groundswell against al-Qaida and Shiite militia extremists. ...more

October 24, 2007

Though the win-loss record might not show it, the Plant City High volleyball team is better than it has been for quite some time. ...more

October 10, 2007