It was such an eye opener; my son called the other day and his first words were, "Mom, all those Santa Clause's helpers in the malls deserve 10 times the salary they get." When I asked what brought him to that profound decision, he tearfully told me that last week, while working as a police officer in a town nearby, he was approached by his chief, who asked him if he would fill in for the Santa Clause that could not show up for the Christmas parade scheduled for that evening. He had a great time as he waved to all the children on the parade's route. After the parade, he was then asked to sit on Santa's throne and listen to all the children's wishes. That sounded like fun, thinking that he would be hearing all the wishes his own kids have of laptops, cell phones, etc. ...more

December 28, 2009

Outfielder Milton Bradley has been traded to the Seattle Mariners from the Chicago Cubs for expensive and underperforming pitcher Carlos Silva, ending rumors of a proposed swap for Tampa Bay's Pat Burrell. ...more

December 18, 2009

With no grant funding this year, a program for at-risk youth and their families is carrying on, but seeking community support and dedicated board members. ...more

December 14, 2009

Mark Yaffe's opulent mansion in Avila always has been the most sensational aspect of National Gold Exchange's bankruptcy case. ...more

November 11, 2009

County Commissioner Jeff Stabins on Friday e-mailed Elections Supervisor Annie Williams with suggestions on how to cut more than $43,000 from her $1 million budget. ...more

October 30, 2009

Marcia Austin is the new assistant to the superintendent in the interim as the search continues to fill the superintendent role. ...more

October 22, 2009

All five Hernando County commissioners and the five constitutional officers are getting a raise this year, courtesy of the state. ...more

October 1, 2009

The Hillsborough County School Board adopted a $3 billion budget Thursday that will save property owners a little money come tax time and approved a contract with school employees that includes no salary increases. ...more

September 4, 2009

Heartland Rural Health Network received a $5,000 gift from the Winn-Dixie Foundation earlier this month. ...more

August 23, 2009

Congress wrote the health bill and Mr. President believes it is a good one and was pushing hard to get it passed ASAP. However, there were a few that saw the flaws in that bill and asked for more time to absorb its contents. Amen! ...more

July 28, 2009