When federal, state and Pasco County officials started talking about using public money to counteract the collapse of the housing market and the related mortgage foreclosure problem, we wondered whether this would just delay the inevitable. The housing boom, whatever its cause, got too many people into mortgage debt they had no hope of repaying, especially once the inflated value of their houses collapsed. No amount of temporary foreclosure forbearance was going to change that unfortunate reality. According to the lead article in the Jan. 2 edition of The New York Times, our concerns were justified. ...more

January 6, 2010

City officials plan to ease flooding in the Channel District with an $8.7 million stormwater project that will build an underground vault for water storage beneath York Street. Pipes also will be installed under Washington Street, near a planned small park. ...more

December 23, 2009

Airport tower flies in the face of facts Read Thursday's remarks from the "airport official" defending the need for an airport control tower. Rob Mills is quoted as saying no taxpayer money will be needed to construct the $3 million control tower. Mr. Mills must have been misquoted as all $3 million in public money comes from the taxpayer in either federal or state tax revenues or the airport tenant and business activities. ...more

December 19, 2009

Fleet manager Jack Stepongzi's admission of receiving kickbacks from a Texas parts supplier has triggered a wider investigation into the county's fleet department. ...more

October 31, 2009

Adkins says 'questionable' purchases could extend beyond Stepongzi. ...more

October 30, 2009

LAND O' LAKES - The developers of Connerton are negotiating with an unnamed, deep-pockets investor to buy the struggling development in the heart of Pasco County. ...more

October 29, 2009

I read where some of your guest columnists give a fair and broad viewpoint about our current administration and some of your guest columnists look on the negative side of things. That of course is called "Freedom of Speech" and that is one of the reasons the U.S.A. is the greatest country in the world. ...more

May 8, 2009

A Panhandle sheriff indicted for corruption bought himself 41 new cars during 12 years in office. ...more

May 6, 2009

The rationale last year for loaning public money to General Motors and Chrysler was that if they crashed, the entire economy would be damaged. ...more

April 1, 2009

Even without the name, the symbolism of the Freedom Tower as an American response to the Sept. 11 terror attacks was hard to miss. ...more

March 28, 2009