Jon Whispel wears his regrets on his arms, tattooed in a skull and two masks. The grinning skull sits high enough on his bicep to hide beneath the short sleeves of his blue prison shirt. He bought the tattoo in Ybor City a decade ago today with money from a woman he had helped kill hours earlier. ...more

June 27, 2008

Jon Whispel wears his regrets on his arms, tattooed in a skull and two masks. ...more

June 26, 2008

When the police got a tip that Bonner Elementary was being hit for the second time in a week, they rushed three squad cars to the school. As they were cordoning off the grounds, the burglars emerged - dashing out a front door and across a field. ...more

June 2, 2008

SEBRING — How many unexcused absences are too many? School Board Member Andy Tuck is alarmed at the nearly 7,700 unexcused absences district-wide in the first nine weeks of school. It's hard to hold teachers accountable when kids don't come to school, he said. Several students have already missed more than 10 days of school. Highlands County School District data shows 43 middle school students (1.5 percent) were absent 10 or more days during the first nine weeks of the school year. At the elementary level, 57 students (1 percent) were absent 10 or more days during the same time period, Aug. 20 through Oct. 24. At the high school level, only five students (one-tenth of 1 percent) were absent 10 or more days. ...more

November 9, 2007

Dear Abby: I am a 17-year-old high school senior. My parents and I don't get along. I swear to goodness that they hate me, plus they don't trust a single thing that I do. I am about to ship out for training in the Army, and I will be gone six months. ...more

September 9, 2007