It would be tough to tally up the hours Gene Hink has devoted to helping local nonprofit agencies and people in need. But Florida Blood Services has kept a careful count of the blood the Brandon man has donated over the years. To commemorate a lifetime donation total of 75 gallons - that's 600 pints - Hink was inducted into the Fenwal Blood Technologies' Donation Hall of Fame on Oct. 11 at the Kennedy Donation Center in Tampa. ...more

November 7, 2009

Sunday is World Blood Donor Day, and this year organizers want to raise the profile of the most important part of the lifesaving operation: volunteers. ...more

June 13, 2009

The haze over Tampa early Tuesday morning seemed to add to the ambience as St. Patrick's Day celebrations began. ...more

March 18, 2009

Shoppers struggling to lose weight or eat healthier often have a problem with portion control, says Barbara Roberts, a nutritionist with the Hillsborough County Healthy Department. From fruits and veggies to packaged foods, supersized portions are everywhere. Americans tend to ignore the nutritional information on the package and instead let their eyes decide how much is "just right." Don't believe us? Look at these examples: ...more

November 8, 2008

••Donors must be at least 16 years old, weigh 110 pounds or more and be in generally good health ...more

September 27, 2008

Three weeks ago, Judy Ballenger of Westminster, S.C., wrote to say that she read this column while she was in town recently and wanted to share recipes she had from a church cookbook for Pickled Okra Ham Rolls and Banana Split Cake. ...more

August 20, 2008

Brandon senior guard Tarron Stewart led the top-seeded Eagles with 17 points and six rebounds in a 69-50 win over Armwood on Friday to advance to the Class 5A-District 8 boys basketball district final. ...more

February 9, 2008

In one corner of the MGM Grand, jet-lagged English boxing fans in Manchester City jerseys knock back pints in the early morning and burst into songs celebrating Ricky Hatton. ...more

December 8, 2007

Eating a cucumber, whose flesh can be up to 20 degrees cooler than the outside air temperature, is a healthful way to cool down. ...more

September 26, 2007