6. WOMEN IN POWER Women in the Bay area held positions of authority before 2000, but there were never so many at the same time as in the first decade of the 21st century. Those in high places included Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio; Hillsborough Community College President Gwendolyn Stephenson; Judy Genshaft, USF president; MaryEllen Elia, Hillsborough County schools superintendent; Pat Bean, Hillsborough County administrator; Jane Castor, Tampa police chief; Denise Palmer, publisher of The Tampa Tribune; and Janet Coats, the newspaper's former vice president and executive editor. ...more

December 31, 2009

The city's police chief slammed a veteran detective today for pulling a gun during a mass snowball fight that had been advertised on Twitter. ...more

December 21, 2009

A Louisiana man who bet against the New Orleans Saints has lost his 60-inch high-definition, flat-screen TV to a backyard firing squad, but he also became an Internet star. ...more

December 10, 2009

Now the tabloids are calling her "Susan Boils Over." Susan Boyle, the Scottish singing sensation, lost her temper and engaged in a "four-letter rant" with two reporters at her London hotel this week that led to police intervention, prompting Britain and the YouTube-watching world to fret over the pressure being piled on the Scottish songstress as her final test approaches. ...more

May 30, 2009

On this Memorial Day, I am reminded of the extreme sacrifices made by so many Americans on behalf of the United States of America and, yes, the world. As someone currently working to preserve the legacy of that generation now known as "The Greatest Generation," I can tell you it has been my honor and extreme privilege to record and share stories from this fading group of veterans. Through their own words, they reveal World War II, a war now referred to as the good war, was anything but good. The lesson is that while war is never good, it is sometimes necessary and always comes at great cost. This weekend we invite you to search Central Florida WW2 Museum Veterans History Project on YouTube to hear their stories and dwell on the significance of remembering our veterans. I believe they deserve our attention. ...more

May 25, 2009

In less than three months, Hillary Rodham Clinton's State Department has embarked on a digital diplomacy drive aimed at spreading the word about American foreign policy and restoring Washington's image. Part of a broader Internet outreach by President Barack Obama's administration, Clinton's Web efforts already have outpaced those of her predecessors. ...more

March 30, 2009

The only teenager to receive jail time for her role in the videotaped beating of a Polk County girl is back home. Brittini Hardcastle, 17, left jail this morning. She was sentenced Friday to 15 days behind bars and released today because she had previously served some of that time. ...more

March 24, 2009

Invoking art, history and "the common humanity that binds us," President Barack Obama offered a new day in the United States' relationship with Iran, using a videotaped message released on the Internet to make an unusual appeal directly to Iranians for a shift away from decades of confrontation. ...more

March 21, 2009

I try to keep a stiff upper lip about not having an iPhone. Just couldn't afford it - not with the $75 a month or so AT&T charges for service on top of the $199 upfront cost for the device. ...more

March 21, 2009

Iran played down President Barack Obama's new video message to the Iranian people on Friday, saying it welcomed the overtures but warned that decades of mistrust can't easily be erased. ...more

March 20, 2009