Families across the area are discovering changes to children's bus stops, and some of the adjustments are raising safety concerns. ...more

July 30, 2008

Construction of the segment of Sebring Parkway alongside Sebring High School will be finished before school starts on Aug. 18, Highlands County Engineer Ramon Gavarrete said Monday. ...more

July 29, 2008

Geographically speaking, Oelsner Park couldn't be described as prominent. Located on the north bank of Miller's Bayou, it's tucked away in a neighborhood historically known as Martha's Vineyard. ...more

July 12, 2008

PORT RICHEY - Geographically speaking, Oelsner Park couldn't be described as prominent. Located on the north bank of Miller's Bayou, it sits tucked away in a residential neighborhood historically referred to as Martha's Vineyard. But the little park has been around a good long time - better than 50 years - and as such it holds a special place in the hearts of many people whose roots in the city are planted the deepest. That fondness was apparent in the size of the crowd that showed up late Thursday afternoon for the reopening of Oelsner Park. ...more

July 9, 2008

Horticulturist offers advice on how to identify trees that might not last in the event of a hurricane. ...more

June 22, 2008

Jim Smetzer, chairman of the Blueberry Shop 'n' Stroll organizing committee, says the event went well but concerns from the public about a shortage of blueberries was welcomed. ...more

June 21, 2008

Parents in the Woodmont community off Gunn Highway successfully protested a planned bus stop and got the school district to change it. ...more

June 14, 2008

Parents in the Woodmont community off Gunn Highway successfully protested a planned bus stop and got the school district to change it. The Hillsborough County school district is eliminating stops and adjusting bus routes to make its transportation system more efficient. But some of the proposals have worried parents for their children's safety. In Woodmont, families were concerned about students having to wait at the corner of Gunn Highway and Cain Road. The walk from the Woodmont houses down Cain is narrow with drainage ditches on both sides and no sidewalks. The traffic and speed on Gunn also bothered them. John Franklin, general director of transportation, met with about a dozen parents in the neighborhood last week on the final day of school to see the route himself. Afterward, he recommended moving the stop off Gunn farther in on Cain Road. Franklin told parents in an e-mail that a safety review showed Cain Road did not have a four-foot walking path as required due to the culverts. The community instead will have two stops that do not require walking down Cain. One stop will be at Cain Road and Piney Lane Drive. A second will be at Piney Lane and Pine Bay Drive. It is a reduction from the four elementary school stops that the neighborhood had last year. Barbara Boler, the parent who brought the Gunn Highway issue to Franklin's attention, said she and others were grateful for the attention and consideration the transportation office gave their concerns. ...more

June 10, 2008