One of Hillsborough County's most notorious landlords has been released early from federal prison because of his failing mental and physical health. ...more

December 24, 2009

Val Perry loves writing, and she loves a good book. Most of all, though, she is motivated to help other people discover their own stories and to learn how to write them. ...more

March 18, 2009

Looking for happiness - it's family-friendly communities for some, tropical paradise or the rugged West for others. A survey of Americans' well-being, conducted by Gallup in partnership with Healthways and America's Health Insurance Plans, gives high marks to Utah, which boasts lots of outdoor recreation for its youthful population. ...more

March 11, 2009

On NBC's "The Biggest Loser," contestants arrive fat and leave thin. And in between, they go through an intense fitness regimen that is, to put a good face on it, grueling. ...more

January 10, 2009

As I age, I find myself wanting to reduce the accumulated collections of things in my life to a concentrated core. For example, I opt for frozen orange juice, which takes up less 'fridge space than a quart of the real thing, which takes up less space than a dozen of the truly real things. ...more

December 10, 2008

Many Americans today are worried about how they look because it is not what they see on television. I have a friend who constantly says that she is depressed. ...more

November 18, 2008

LAND O' LAKES - Djuke vom Vilstaler Land lounges in his parlor, half submerged in the indoor pool. He digs for something unseen and ducks his basketball-size, black and tan head under the surface. Water swells and breaches the rim. ...more

October 25, 2008

Djuke, all 117 pounds of toned muscle, is just getting over the jet lag of a flight to Buenos Aires over the weekend. There, he strutted, ran, sat still and stared, raking in the top three prizes in a contest among more than 300 other Rottweilers. ...more

October 23, 2008

A Tampa Bay area foster boy is heading to Miami today for a possible liver transplant after another hospital removed him from an organ-donor waiting list in part because he doesn't have a permanent home. ...more

July 9, 2008

A commission designed to help reform the state's juvenile justice system presented a report of recommendations Tuesday to Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp and state legislators. ...more

February 6, 2008