SEBRING — There are lots of interesting things to know about Hal Valeche. He was a carrier pilot in the Vietnam War who trained at Mirimar Naval Station. He was a Wall Street investment banker. He got into Yale at 16. But even more interesting is how well versed he is on "American Idol." After being interviewed at Inn on the Lakes, he stood out front and asked which contestant had the greatest chance of winning. ...more

May 29, 2008

Editor's note: This is the first profile of the three Republicans running to challenge U.S. Rep. Tim Mahoney for 16th District in the U.S. Congress. SEBRING — Tom Rooney is almost stereotypically Irish. He's tall, red-haired, flush-faced, freckled, and built like a lumberjack. Actually, he's a former tight end, an Army veteran and an attorney. His favorite rockers, according to his Facebook page, are the Dublin group U2. ...more

May 26, 2008

Since her freshman year at Durant, pitcher Sara DeMuth listened to the seniors on the softball team talk about reaching the state tournament. Year after year, those graduating classes fell short. ...more

May 20, 2008

They listened to his words as if they were the only cure to the pain they were feeling. After the Durant softball team lost to Palm Beach Gardens in a heartbreaking 5-4 10-inning Class 6A state semifinal May 9, the players huddled around their coach, Matt Carter, who consoled them the only way he knew how. ...more

May 20, 2008

The perennial state power proved too much for the confident upstart program. ...more

May 11, 2008

Exhausted, dejected and emotionally drained, the Durant softball team walked off the Plant City Stadium field knowing it was so close to playing for a state championship. ...more

May 10, 2008

A security firm that contracted with Miami-Dade Transit overbilled the agency more than $6 million for time its guards did not actually work, according to a county audit released Thursday. ...more

May 9, 2008

For the last two years, members of the Durant softball team were asked to assist the FHSAA at the state softball tournament at Plant City Stadium. ...more

May 9, 2008

STATE SOFTBALL ...more

May 8, 2008

After four years as a varsity starter on the Durant softball team, senior catcher Kristen Jones hadn't missed a high school game. Not one. ...more

May 8, 2008