ST. PETERSBURG - Moving to appease residents who want Al Lang Field preserved as parkland, the city council decided today to seek community input on the fate of the 10-acre waterfront site if it does not become the new home of the Tampa Bay Rays. ...more

February 7, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG - Opponents of the Tampa Bay Rays' stadium proposal are expected at this morning's St. Petersburg City Council meeting to push their efforts to preserve Al Lang Field as parkland. ...more

February 7, 2008

Streaks Roll Past Dragons LAKE PLACID — Jake Trussell scored 19 points and senior Sam Robinson chipped in 12 as the Sebring Blue Streaks raced past Lake Placid 75-29 in the final meeting this season of the cross-county rivals. The score wasn't indicative of the performance by the Blue Streaks, who led by only 14 points at the half and played lazy at times against the Green Dragons. ...more

February 1, 2008

ARCADIA — In Julie Lamb's first at-bat of the season, she was hit by a pitch. Her next time at the plate, she was the one doing the hitting. Lamb smacked a grand-slam in the first inning on Tuesday and the Avon Park softball team got a solid outing in the circle from Ashton Shirey as the Red Devils opened up their season with a 17-0 thumping of Hardee in the DeSoto softball tournament. ...more

January 31, 2008

Countrywide Financial Corp. says Manatee, Sarasota and Charlotte counties are among the riskiest communities nationwide in which to make mortgage loans. ...more

January 30, 2008

AVON PARK — Kelli Collier drove one and a half hours to have her teeth polished Wednesday morning, but it was no ordinary trip to the dentist office. Collier, of Port Charlotte, is a student in South Florida Community College's dental hygiene program, and, like most of her peers, she travels across the state for the program. Becky Sroda, director of dental education at SFCC, said she has received calls from interested students in Ukraine and Taiwan, but very few students are from Highlands County. ...more

January 28, 2008

Family and friends of Denise Lee will gather from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. today at Lemon Bay Funeral Home Englewood Chapel. Services will be held at 1 p.m. Wednesday at First United Methodist Church in Punta Gorda. Burial will be at Gulf Pines Memorial Park in Englewood. Donations for the Lee family can be dropped off at any of the four Charlotte County Sheriff's office locations listed below. Make checks out to the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office, with Denise Lee Fund written in the memo line. ...more

January 21, 2008

Eight people whose skeletal remains were discovered last year in a wooded area just outside downtown Fort Myers were the victims of homicide, police said Friday. ...more

January 18, 2008

NORTH PORT - North Port police arrested Adam Lucas, 24, on Tuesday after he ran from police and choked a police dog, authorities said. ...more

January 16, 2008

LAKE PLACID — A holiday hangover — and the lack of personnel — hit the Lake Placid girls basketball team hard on Monday night. The Avon Park Red Devils showed no mercy for the depleted Green Dragons, taking a six-point lead after the first quarter, and using superb defense to ignite their fast break, holding Lake Placid scoreless for two-plus quarters en route to a 54-8 thumping. ...more

January 9, 2008