In response to Frances Earl's column in Thursday's edition, I would like to take the opportunity to set her facts straight. ...more

May 13, 2008

It seems like I've been getting more e-mails from readers than ever before, which makes sense in a shaky economy. But before they start piling up too high, I would like to take the opportunity to answer a couple in this space. Here are two of the most frequently asked questions in my inbox: ...more

May 4, 2008

Thousands of people every day see him dressed in a Lady Liberty or Uncle Sam costume, waving a placard for a Bradenton tax service. ...more

February 19, 2008

One recent morning, dozens of elderly and disabled people gathered at Small Loans. Many had borrowed money from Small Loans and turned over their Social Security benefits to pay back the high-interest lender. Now they were waiting for their "allowance" - their monthly check, minus Small Loans' cut. ...more

February 13, 2008

Retirement Not Cushy Regarding "Not Just Baby Boomers' Issue" (Letters, Jan. 27): ...more

February 2, 2008

Florida strawberry growers are still reeling from last month's freeze. Since the Jan. 3 freeze, strawberry production has dropped more than 30 percent compared with last year, costing growers and farmworkers more than $15 million, the Florida Strawberry Growers Association said Friday. Initially, industry officials projected a 10 percent to 15 percent loss. ...more

February 2, 2008

LAND O' LAKES - A few years ago, Phyllis Blankenship was looking for someone to handle the payroll for her site development company, BRW Contracting. ...more

January 29, 2008

Six months ago, Adrian Moran Gomez made an excruciating choice. He said goodbye to his wife and four young children in Honduras. He left them behind to work alongside his father and brothers in Lakeland. ...more

January 17, 2008

SARASOTA - A home health aide wrote herself $52,689 in checks last year out of an elderly couple's bank account, the Saraosta Sheriff's Office said. ...more

January 14, 2008

In a past life, the singlewide mobile homes served as classrooms for a Christian school on State Road 54. ...more

January 10, 2008