FORT MYERS –– As the national anthem played before the start of Saturday's Class 4A regional final between Sebring and Riverdale, the flag was flapping in a stiff breeze blowing out to center field. The combination of the windy conditions and two weary pitching staffs from Friday's first two games of the best-of-three series made for a slugfest, and Riverdale, down to its last six outs, rallied from a six-run deficit to score nine runs in the sixth inning and hang on for an 11-10 victory to earn a spot in the state semifinals. "Riverdale gave us some outs early and we gave them some outs toward the end of the game," said Sebring coach Hoppy Rewis. "Both of us were out of pitching and I'm sure that's happening all over the state. "I make no bones about it, I'm not an advocate of this new system of playing the best out of three series. It puts the kids in jeopardy of getting hurt because they're tired or a pitcher throwing too many pitches in a short period of time." ...more

May 11, 2008

Brandon and Cambridge Christian's baseball teams will deal with a curveball today as both eye trips to the state baseball tournament in Sarasota. ...more

May 9, 2008

Nursing homes, notorious places for voter fraud, need greater guidance on how to help residents vote, senators and voter advocates said Thursday. ...more

February 1, 2008

David Hamilton is back in Crow Wing, Minn., where he will spend the next several weeks wrapping up business and making sure his transition from his job as county administrator there goes smoothly. ...more

January 26, 2008

Show Some Real Support Well, Veterans Day has come and gone and our congressmen and senators have crawled out of the woodwork and from under their rocks to proclaim how much they appreciate our military, our veterans and our military retirees. ...more

November 13, 2007

A Hole Lot Of Fun Not everyone gets a birthday bash with 250 of their closest friends and relatives, but Lucille Crum's family thought she deserved one. After all, the golf-loving matriarch has been alive for 100 years. So they all gathered at the Country Meadows golf course recently to find out her secrets for longevity. ...more

November 11, 2007

Magic wands exist, but it's the people holding them who give the objects power, says a craftsman of the bewitching tools. ...more

November 8, 2007

It's disheartening that two elected boards, plus their legal staffs and administrators, cannot settle a simple dispute over who should pay for off-site road improvements needed for new schools. Yet, that's been the case for years between Pasco County government and the school board, and another round of talks last week failed to solve the issue. ...more

November 4, 2007