Bill Foster is this city's next mayor. Foster beat opponent Kathleen Ford by fewer than 3,000 votes in an election where roughly 30 percent of registered voters turned out. ...more

November 4, 2009

A damaging verdict in a sexual harassment trial has not slowed County Commissioner Kevin White's drive for re-election. ...more

September 2, 2009

We really need to worry as newspapers in the country are closing. We are not just losing newspapers, we are losing freedom of the press. If we begin to rely on TV news, which is more the opinion of the presenter, or news on the computer, we are sacrificing the local scene. ...more

April 9, 2009

Dormant for several years, the New Tampa Republican Club has a new charter and officers. ...more

March 18, 2009

A survey commissioned by the Seminole Tribe of Florida and conducted by a Virginia-based firm whose co-founder consults for the Republican Party has found support for casino gambling. ...more

February 23, 2009

Postal Service Two days before Valentine's Day, I sent my grandson a Valentine card. It should have gotten there Friday or Saturday, which was Valentine's Day. Instead, it got there on Tuesday, four days after it was mailed. I am aware that Monday was a holiday, but even so, four days to send a card less than 10 miles really is unacceptable service. ...more

February 21, 2009

Last month, the cash-strapped Pinellas School District decided to close or consolidate a number of elementary and middle schools. Sheriff Jim Coats announced this week a reorganization under which, he said, the Sheriff's Office could "serve citizens as efficiently as possible given the present and future budget challenges." ...more

February 7, 2009

The Sun 'n Lake 2009 landowner's election is over but the controversy over voting rights will linger on. Elections normally are fought on several issues; what was done wrong, what candidates would do to correct incumbents' errors and all kinds of promises of good things to come. That was not the case here. ...more

February 1, 2009

Florida's 2010 ballot may include two competing citizen initiatives on growth management because the state Supreme Court narrowly cleared a business-backed proposal today. ...more

December 18, 2008

Elections Supervisor Buddy Johnson didn't get the $2.3 million he wanted to cover what he characterized as "unexpected" election costs, but he will get an audit courtesy of the Hillsborough County Commission. ...more

December 18, 2008